Memories of Love
by Proganthony
Summary: During the Battle of Hogwarts, just before surrendering to Tom Riddle, Harry has a last meeting with Hermione. In a flash before his eyes he sees all the moments that has made their love grow strong. Inspired by Quora questions about what Harry would have been if he were like myself. H/Hr. Not for fans of Ron and Ginny, although I try to keep bashing minimal.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter! If I did, I wouldn't need to write fanfiction.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

 _WHY?_

In his mind, Harry was screaming out when he saw the one person he didn't want to see at that moment. The one person he loved to see more than anyone. The one person who had been with him through thick and thin. The one person who could break his resolve.

Hermione Granger.

Inside Harry, rage and sorrow were having a fight. _Curse you, Dumbledore! Curse you, Snape! Curse you, Tom Riddle!_ Yes, Harry had decided to call the wizard known to the Wizarding World as Voldemort by his real name, thanks to Hermione's remark that "fear for a name increases fear for a thing itself". It was his way to mock the wizard that ruined his life by reminding him that he's the Chosen One who will kill him. As he and Hermione, admittedly with some help and some luck, had been destroying Riddle's Horcruxes one by one, Riddle would soon have no more chance to run away from Death.

But then, when Hogwarts itself was under attack, and Riddle was becoming more desperate and he even killed Snape to have control over the Elder Wand (or so he thought), Harry took a Memory from the dying teacher he hated so much. And then through the Pensieve, everything was revealed to him. And although Harry had The-Power-The-Dark-Lord-Has-Not, namely Love, now he hated Snape more than ever before.

So, in the end Snape was on Dumbledore's side. But how could this ever make up for all the evil deeds he had done?  
Yes, Harry knew Snape and his father were enemies. Yes, he was shocked when he found out that his father was a bully. But that shock was nothing compared to the shock of finding out that Riddle targeted him because SNAPE was the one telling him about the prophecy.  
Oh sure, Snape then became a turncloak because he was still obsessed with his mother. Obsession, yes, that was all Harry could call it. He now also had found out why the letter and photo he found in Sirius' room were ripped: It was because Snape stole the other parts. _Filthy thief! How dared he stealing from the dead!_  
The git was totally obsessed with his mother. True, they had been friends once. But what kind of person would insult his best friend so deeply as Snape had done to his mother? "Mudblood" he called her, revealing his true colours. Even the bullying by his father now seemed less bad, as Snape thought that Dark Magic used on an innocent girl was nothing but "just a laugh"! And that hypocrite claimed to love his mother? _I'd sooner kill myself before joining some group that wants Hermione dead! If Snape really loved my mother, he would have done the same!_ This thought reminded Harry of the words Sirius had spoken to Wormtail when they had caught him: "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS!"  
And then, when it was already too late, Snape turned to Dumbledore for help. And here too it showed how evil Snape was. While Harry's father had died trying to save his wife and son, Snape wanted to sacrifice James and Harry (indeed, not himself!) to keep Lily save. Dumbledore was disgusted. So reluctantly Snape asked him to save everyone. Well, Harry knew too well what happened. Wormtail betrayed them, which led to the death of Harry's parents, a decade of abuse by the Dursleys and a perilous life at Hogwarts, until Harry found in Snape's memory what had to be done to finally finish Riddle: He had to die! And it stinged that Dumbledore couldn't have told him that himself.  
Snape even had the audacity to tell Dumbledore he'd give him everything. _Really, everything? I want my parents back, you son of a bitch!_

 _Well_ , Harry admitted reluctantly, _in all these years of bullying, Snape was right about one thing:_

"Life isn't fair!"

Indeed, how could life be fair, when almost everyone who Harry loved had died. His parents, his godfather, Hedwig, Moody, and then all the wizards and witches who died during the Battle of Hogwarts so far. Tonks, Remus, and Ron... Harry could see the irony in the way Ron had died. He had often been jealous of Harry's fame, but in the end he died as a hero when he saved Fred's life. And Ginny...well, he felt annoyed by her jealous reaction when they had spoken the last time when he still needed help in the search for the Diadem of Ravenclaw, but she didn't deserve to die in the way she did.  
And now, when Harry had accepted he had to die to stop Riddle once and for all, as he himself was a Horcrux, Fate made sure that he had to meet the one person that could make him doubt his decision.  
Indeed, he mostly made the decision to sacrifice himself because it would save Hermione. This war was perhaps even more about her than it was about him. His involvement in this situation was "merely" bad luck. The Chosen One could just as well have been Neville Longbottom, although Harry certainly did not wish this upon Neville.  
But even then, Hermione, being a Muggleborn, would still have been one of Riddle's targets. Even if Harry Potter hadn't been a threat to Riddle, he would have wanted Hermione Granger dead. And as Harry has, as she would say, "a saving people thing", he would give his life to save her. Just like his father had given his life trying to save his wife and son.  
Still, it was also the reason why he now tried to avoid her. If she saw him, she surely wanted to know all about Snape's memory and if it had given them some information that could help them in their fight against Riddle. But how could Harry, or anyone for that matter, tell the love of his life that to end the war he had to die?! In a situation like this the words "Life isn't fair" are an understatement. No, life is extremely cruel! Then again, what would be more cruel? Telling her what he had to do and see her break down in tears right in front of him, or not telling her and only having her find out when she sees his corpse?

But Harry knew too well what had to be done, and he knew he was running out of time. He had no idea for how long he had been away watching Snape's memory in the Pensieve, but Riddle's one hour armistice would undoubtly soon be over. _Please forgive me, but I must go to save you._  
Hermione was still sitting on the stairs with her back turned to Harry. Harry took one last look at her before turning to go and face Riddle. He couldn't look at her face, but at least he could see her lovely hair one last time. In his thoughts he sent goodbyes to all his friends still alive.

 _Neville and Luna, I hope that you will be happy together when this is all over. Dear Weasleys, thank you for making your house a home for me, and I'm sorry that because of me you had to lose two children. Teddy, I'm so sorry that not only you've lost your parents, but you're also going to lose your godfather. But I have no doubt that your grandmother will raise you with all the love she has and make a great man out of you..._

Harry's final thought was for Hermione.  
 _Hermione, you were always there for me. Even when I was too stupid to see it, you always did all you could to help me stay alive. I know your worst fear is failure and that's why I cannot tell you I have to die, as that will mean everything you did to keep me alive has been for nothing, and thus you've failed. But if my death means you will live, then at least my death is not in vain. I love you, Hermione Granger, and I will love you forever!_

But hadn't Harry just come to the conclusion that Life isn't fair? It was just a soft sound, less than a whisper. But nonetheless those words were able to escape from his lips:

"I love you, Hermione..."

And no matter how soft those words were, it made Hermione turn and look over her shoulder. Or maybe it was just another example of the telepathy that seemed to exist between Harry and Hermione? Whatever the reason was, Hermione turned around to see her one true love standing behind her.

"Harry?!"

Inside his mind, Harry was screaming again.

 _WHY?_

Hermione stood up to look at Harry. It was clear to see on his face that something wasn't right, and she had to fight the urge to give Harry one of her patented hugs.

"Harry, what happened? What did the Memory tell you?"

But Harry couldn't say a word. When he looked at Hermione's beautiful but sad face, memories were spinning and turning in his head, and images and visions were appearing in his mind, as if he was "falling" into the Pensieve again. But these memories were all his own. Memories about Hermione, memories about their adventures, memories about how their love had grown. Harry felt as if he was frozen in time while he was forced to watch his own memories. It seemed that Life was still cruel enough to give him a taster of what was to come. Isn't this what happens the moment you die, seeing your whole life like a film in a flash before your eyes? But Life was cruel enough to only show Harry the memories about Harry's Power-The-Dark-Lord-Knows-Not, and the one person who provided him with that one Power:

 _Love!_


	2. Chapter 1: O Children

**Chapter 1: O Children**

 _"WE THOUGHT YOU HAD A PLAN!"_

Harry was sitting outside the tent. He needed some time to think things over.

It had been two days since Ron left. Now that it was Hermione's turn to wear the locket, Harry's anger had diminished. What was left was the pain of a friendship that seemed to have been broken beyond repair.

 _"His family was like my own family. Mrs. Weasley's Boggart included seeing ME dead too, not only her own children! How could he think I didn't care for his family too?"_

But part of Harry was wondering if Ron was right after all. Sure, he knew it wouldn't be easy to find all the Horcruxes. If it was easy, it would have been done long ago. But they had so little clues.

But was this his fault? No. He had given Ron and Hermione all the information that Dumbledore had given to them. That's all they had. So, blame it on Dumbledore, not on him.

Harry could understand that Ron feared for the safety of his family. He himself had often checked the Marauder's Map and felt relieved to see Ginny's name appear on the Map. So she had survived the Death Eater's attack during the wedding of Bill and Fleur, when Harry, Ron and Hermione had to flee.

But was this fear a reason to abandon this mission? According to the Prophecy, Harry was the only one who could bring an end to Tom Riddle. _"Tom Riddle..."_ Harry grinned wryly. Ron was always so scared of the name "Voldemort". Then Hermione repeated that fear of a name increases the fear of a thing itself. It was then that Harry realised that Voldemort was hiding his real name, so it was decided to only call the Dark Lord by his real name.

But anyway... If Ron so feared for his family's safety, then he shouldn't have run away. Instead he should have done all he could to make sure his family could be safe. But here they were, only he and Hermione still on the mission to find the Horcruxes, while Ron had gone home. Just how safe did Ron think his family would be if Harry failed during his mission?

Harry felt his anger rise again, even without the influence of the locket. But without the locket he thankfully knew he had to calm down. His thoughts needed to be steered into a different direction.

So, to eliminate Riddle, he needed to seek and destroy all Horcruxes. But, what then? The Prophecy said he had the Power-The-Dark-Lord knows not. And that power is Love. But what good is Love in this battle? Harry certainly had no desire to kiss Tom Riddle to death. That silly idea was enough to make Harry laugh, even though the laughter was rather hollow.

But still, what is Love, and what is its power? If Harry was honest, he knew very little about Love. Yes, he survived the Killing Curse because of his mother's Love, but he had no memories of his parents, other than his mother's death scream. And the Dursleys never gave him any love.  
Hogwarts gave him happiness, but in all honesty, there was very little friendship, let alone love. Yes, he made a few good friends, but for one moment everyone loved the famous Boy-Who-Lived, the next moment everyone thought he was a cheat who sneaked into the Triwizard Tournament for his own glory, or he was the evil Heir of Slytherin who wanted to kill everyone unworthy.

And love... Well, his relationship with Cho was a big failure. And Ginny... While he still cared for Ginny like he cared for the whole Weasley family, Harry had realised that Ginny was not the right girl for him. Perhaps he already knew this when Ginny had that fight with Hermione over the Halfblood Prince's Book - _SNAPE's book!_ Hermione was right to lecture him. What kind of idiot uses a spell he knows nothing about? Had Snape not appeared to heal Draco, Harry would have been a murderer! But Ginny said Hermione should be happy that Harry had something to defend himself. Why did Harry ever listen to that? He could have defended himself with Expelliarmus and it would avoided a lot of trouble.

And then Harry had ended his relationship with Ginny. Indeed, it was for "noble" reasons, but looking back at it, Harry could see it was ridiculous. What made him think Ginny would be save if she was not his girlfriend? She'd still be the sister of his best friend, in a family of "blood traitors". She'd still be a target. But Ginny didn't have that kind of logic, and while she didn't care, she didn't point out Harry was breaking up for silly reasons. She even stated that perhaps the reason she loved him, was that he wouldn't be happy unless he was hunting Voldemort. Well, look at how happy he was now. It made Harry painfully clear that Ginny still only saw him as a hero destined to save the Wizarding World. She saw the Chosen One, not "just Harry". The final straw came when meeting Gabrielle Delacour again. Harry could understand if Ginny would have been jealous of someone closer to their own ages, even though their relationship was formally over. But being jealous of a CHILD? What was she thinking? Even if Gabrielle, like her sister, was part-Veela, this was almost like asking if he was a paedophile! After that, there was no way that Harry would consider dating Ginny again if he somehow survived this war.

Harry heard some soft sobbing coming from the tent. _Hermione..._

Why did she stay with him? The answer was obvious: Hermione was just as big a target for Riddle as he was. Born from non-magical parents, Riddle and his Death Eaters deemed her unworthy and wanted her dead. Perhaps even more than they wanted him dead.  
But was that the only reason why she stayed? She could have left as well. She could have left the country. Riddle only controlled the Wizarding World of Britain. She could have left the country together with her parents and be safe.

 _Her parents!_ This thought finally made Harry aware of the sacrifice Hermione had made. Ron was worried about the safety of her parents, but Hermione willingly gave up on her parents to help Harry. She deliberatly made herself an orphan just for him. The murder of his parents were Harry's biggest loss, but Hermione knew what it was like to have loving parents. And she gave up all that just for him, without any guarantee that she'd ever see them again. The realization of this sacrifice made Harry burst into tears.

 _Hermione..._ How could he have been so blind for all these years? Sure, when they first met, she seemed like an "insufferable know-it-all". But she was also one of the first to give him information about his father, even when they 'officially' weren't friends yet. It was Hermione who had shown him his father was a Quidditch player too. And already then she had encouraged him when he was nervous about his first match. _"You won't make a fool out of yourself. It's in your blood."_

And then, after he and Ron had saved her from the troll, she was the most loyal friend anyone could wish for, even when he was too blind to see. Not only when she was trying to talk some sense in him after he nearly murdered Draco. No, she always tried to keep him alive. While he was angry when his Firebolt was confiscated, she had only warned McGonagall to keep him safe. True, there was nothing wrong with the broom, and yes, there was no way Sirius would ever harm Harry. But nobody could have known that beforehand. Maybe it wasn't smart of Hermione to do this behind his back, but it only showed that she would do everything she can to keep Harry alive.

The Triwizard Tournament showed this even more. Ron had abandoned Harry, just like he had done now. And the whole school seemed to believe Harry was a glory seeking cheat. Only Hermione was on his side and trusted him unconditionally.

And how had he rewarded her loyalty? Even though he had appreciated her help, inside he was missing Ron, because Hermione wasn't "fun" enough! As if dying from dragonfire would have been "fun"! Harry now cried tears of shame. How could he forgive Ron everything, when Hermione truly did everything for him? How could Hermione call him her best friend, when he himself always put her in second place over Ron?

Harry looked at the tent, and heard Hermione was still crying. _WHAT AM I DOING?_ Again he was letting Hermione down. _I'm supposed to have the power of Love, yet here am I sitting outside and I'm letting my best friend - yes, the one who truly deserves to be called my best friend - cry all alone. No! Not anymore!_

Harry went inside the tent. Hermione was sitting on her bed, listening to the radio. Harry heard the beginning of a song, and suddenly he had an idea.

He extended his hand towards Hermione. She looked surprised, but she took Harry's hand anyway. Harry gently caressed Hermione's cheek, wiping away the tears, and then removed the locket that was still around her neck. This moment should not be spoiled by negative emotions.

Harry could not deny he felt nervous. Would his plan work, or would Hermione turn away because she was not in a happy mood? But he had to try. He had to prove that he was worthy of being called Hermione's best friend... and he just wanted to cheer her up. He wanted to be there for her, just like she was always there for him.

He turned the volume of the radio louder and then he led Hermione to the open spot in the middle of the tent. And then, they started to dance. Slowly, at first. Harry wasn't a good dancer, although he had learned some basic moves for the Yule Ball in their fourth year. But what did it matter? There was nobody there to see, and all that mattered was to make Hermione happy. Maybe it was even the better that he was a bad dancer, then. Because the silliness of it all would be funny.

He recognised the voice of Nick Cave. Despite all the abuse he had to endure, the Dursleys did love music. Of course they had never bought any record for him, but it would have been impossible to make sure that Harry never heard any music. But it didn't really matter what song was being played, as long as his plan would work. Harry was glad that it was a song to which they could dance, but also a song with a not too high tempo.

They started carefully, but gradually they could respond to each other's moves. Occasionally they did make some errors, but just like Harry hoped, it only added to the fun. Yes, Harry's plan was working. Hermione's smile returned. Just for one song, nothing else mattered. There was no Tom Riddle, there were no Death Eaters, no Horcruxes, no betrayals, no fear of death waiting around the corner. There was only Harry and Hermione, two best friends who were making each other happy while Nick Cave sang "O Children" in the background.

And as the song was coming to an end, they slowed down while holding each other in a tight hug. Harry was reminded of all the hugs Hermione had given him over the years. _Why haven't I noticed this before? There's no one who can give a hug like Hermione can!_

The two friends looked each other in the eyes, and finally it was Hermione who broke the silence.

"Thank you, Harry. I really needed this."

Harry laughed, a little sheepishly. "If somebody deserves thanks, it's you, Hermione. Thank you for staying with me."

This surprised Hermione: "Of course I'm staying with you. Why would you think I would leave you?"

Harry just shrugged: "I'm not such a great friend to you..."

"Harry, why do you think that?", interrupted Hermione. "You just showed what a great friend you are!"

"That's because I had just realised that I have not been a good friend." As Hermione didn't say anything, Harry continued:

"Hermione, ever since we met, you have done everything to keep me alive. And how did I thank you for it? By making you second best. It was always Ron who was Number One. Even when he abandoned me in a fit of jealousy, and you were the only one who believed me, I valued his friendship more than yours.

"And now here we are, and Ron is gone again. But you are still here. Like you've always been, even when I was too blind to see it. Yes, I was even too blind to see what you've given up for me...your parents..." Harry needed to swallow and felt tears burning in his eyes again.

"Hermione, the only person who truly deserves to be called "my best friend" is you. Without you, I would have been lost a long time ago already. So, just like you have always done everything you did just for me, I will do all I can do for you and prove I'm worthy to be called your best friend too. And... please forgive me for all the times I have let you down."

Hermione put her arms around Harry again and held him tightly: "There's nothing to forgive, you silly noble boy. You ARE my best friend, even if now you think you are not." Hermione's tears also started to flow again. "We're only humans, and humans make mistakes. Even this know-it-all makes mistakes sometimes.

"I admit, I'm scared too sometimes. This quest... it's just too much to ask from us who are only barely adults. But I swear to you, Harry, I'm not going to leave you all alone with this burden. I'll go with you!"

Harry put his arms around Hermione too and gently kissed her forehead. "Hermione, you are the best friend anyone could wish for." They kept standing there for a while, without speaking, but finding comfort in each other's presence. Neither of them realised it yet, but thanks to Harry's sudden understanding that he needed to show that he indeed had The-Power-The-Dark-Lord-Knows-Not, their friendship had made a change and had turned into something that could never be broken.

Suddenly, a buzzing sound interrupted the silence. Harry looked away from Hermione, and noticed it had just been the alarm clock. "Well," he said with a smile, "I think it's time to start preparing dinner."


	3. Chapter 2: Nightmare

**Disclaimer: I believe that love should be based on loyalty and trust. I do NOT believe that love should be based on bickering and jealousy. Therefore I cannot possibly be the owner of Harry Potter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2 - Nightmare**

The dinner was simple but nutritious. The atmosphere inside the tent had clearly changed for the better, as instead of complaining about the small amount of food, Harry and Hermione were telling little anecdotes and memories to each other.

"Do you remember, Hermione, in our first year, when Seamus tried to change water into rum?"  
"Oh yes!", she answered, half laughing. "And of course he could even make water explode."

"You know, Harry, before I found out that magic was real I once read a story about an old man, almost like a dwarf, who carried a knapsack in which he could always find what he needed."

"That kind of power would have been handy, but even wizards cannot make something from nothing. Perhaps that's also just for the best."

"Oh, don't misunderstand this power, Harry. The knapsack only gave to the old man everything he NEEDED, not just what he WANTED." Harry thought this over.

"Oh, I see. So, for example, if we had this knapsack right now, it would give us enough food to make sure we wouldn't starve, but it wouldn't give us, let's say, one million galleons to buy more food than we'd ever need."

"That's indeed what I meant with giving what he needed."

"Well, when all of this is over, I'd like to hear more about the stories of the old man and his knapsack."

"I'll be happy to tell you all about it. But tonight I will read some other stories." Hermione looked into her bag and took out the copy of " _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ ".

"There has to be a reason why I inherited this book. There has to be a clue hidden somewhere. And right now it is all we have."

Harry sent Hermione a smile. "If there's anyone who can figure it out, it's you, Hermione. You also figured out why the Sword of Gryffindor is so important. I really meant what I said before, you are brilliant."  
Hermione smiled back. "Thank you, Harry. But we both have our strengths and weaknesses. I may be very logical, but on the other hand you can fly better than I ever will. And remember that you were the leader of the DA, teaching us true Defense Against the Dark Arts. I appreciate your compliment, but don't underestimate yourself. You can be brilliant too."

As Hermione lied down on her bed to read the book (as Harry had noticed, while Hermione could read in any place, it appeared that this was the most comfortable way to read for her), Harry sat down by the radio to let the music ease his mind, so it was easier to think things over.

It wasn't easy for Harry to take a compliment, but Hermione's support made him smile. It reminded him of the end of their first year, when Hermione had hugged him for the first time:

 _"You're a great wizard, Harry!"_  
 _"I'm not as good as you are..."_  
 _"Me? Books and cleverness! There are more important things. Friendship and bravery, and... oh Harry, be careful!"_

Hermione was right, there was no point in comparing himself to her. Each person was unique, and he knew he had some skills she would never have. Still, there was a reason she was called the brightest witch of her age. And how often had her "books and cleverness" already saved their lives? Harry couldn't help feeling admiration for Hermione's brilliance.

He knew he shouldn't do it, as the past can't be changed, but he wondered if he could have been as great as her if he had made some more effort. He didn't understand why, but somehow over the years he had changed. When he started at Hogwarts, everything seemed so fascinating. And there was a time that he had loved books just as much as Hermione did. Heck, he had even found Hedwig's name in a book. What had made him change so much? Shouldn't he have devoured any book he could get his hands upon? A Dark Wizard was out there wanting to kill him. Shouldn't he have tried to learn everything he could learn to defend himself? Then again, Hermione was right when she reminded him he was the best in DADA.

But what was done, was done. Still, Harry did feel a bit guilty. If he had studied better, he could have helped Hermione with finding some clues. Even though almost everyone at Hogwarts had thought History of Magic was the most boring subject, it could have been useful to know more about the history of the Sword of Gryffindor. Yes, Harry knew very well that the Sword only appears to worthy Gryffindors, as had happened in the Chamber of Secrets when he fought the basilisk that had petrified Hermione. But going to Hogwarts and hoping the Sword would appear again in the Sorting Hat was no option for now. No, there had to be another way to find the Sword.

But with so little clues, it all seemed hopeless. Harry sighed. Why did Fate had to choose him? Why couldn't he just have had a very happy childhood, growing up in Godric's Hollow...

 _GODRIC'S HOLLOW!_

Why didn't he think of this before? The town in which he was born was named after the founder of Gryffindor! What could be a better place to find clues about the sword? Yes, Harry was certain, Godric's Hollow could be the place with answers to their questions. And not only that... he could also see the place where his parents were buried. _It's been 16 years and I've never visited their grave. Not even since I became aware of the Wizarding World._ The shame Harry felt because of this made him even more determined to go to Godric's Hollow.

"Hermione, I want to go to Godric's Hollow," Harry said, when Hermione at the same time called out: "Harry, can you come take a look at this?"

"You first", they again said simultaneously when they realised they had spoken at the same time, making them both laugh.

Harry stood up from his chair, and walked to Hermione's bed. "Please, show me what you've found", he said while sitting down.

"It's this symbol over here", Hermione said while pointing to the page in the book. "This symbol has been inked in by someone. But it's not a rune. Have you perhaps seen this symbol before?"

Harry took a look, and was shocked to recognise the symbol: "That's Grindelwald's mark!"

Hermione looked at him with her mouth wide open: " _WHAT!?"_

"Krum told me this at the wedding of Bill and Fleur. He was furious when he saw Luna's dad wearing this symbol." Harry retold Hermione the story Krum told him.

"That's strange. Why would anyone add such a Dark Mark to a children's book? Unless..." Hermione thought for a moment, and then continued. "Wasn't Dumbledore the one who defeated Grindelwald. When exactly again?"

Harry remembered this information from his Chocolate Frog Card. "1945. Why?"

Hermione looked at Harry. "Think about it, Harry. What happened in the Muggle World in 1945?"

Harry thought for a short moment, but then he figured it out. "The end of the Second World War!"

Hermione beamed at him. "Indeed. And the Nazis also had their own symbol." Harry nodded. "The swastika."

"Indeed," repeated Hermione. "But just because the Nazis misused that symbol, doesn't mean the symbol is evil in itself. In hinduism, the swastika is the most holy symbol. It's considered a sign of happiness and prosperity. And in many religions, the swastika actually symbolizes the sun."

Harry could see what Hermione meant. "So, you mean to say that Grindelwald's mark doesn't necessarily has an evil meaning, but it's only seen as evil because Grindelwald misused it." "Indeed," said Hermione for a third time. "Well, Hermione, that's all great, but then, what DOES it mean?"

"I don't know yet", said Hermione. "But I'm going to find out!" But she couldn't hide that she was tired when a yawn escaped from her mouth.

"Better find out tomorrow, Hermione. Just don't exhaust yourself too much." Hermione nodded. "Yes, it was a crazy day. We really need to sleep," she said while giving Harry a smile to remind him how thankful she was for the dance.

"OK, I'm going to take a short walk before going to bed and also check the wards", said Harry. Hermione gave him another smile. "Alright, see you in a minute." She understood that Harry was being polite and was giving her a moment alone to change into her night clothes.

When Harry returned, he found that Hermione had already fallen asleep. He watched his best friend with a tender gaze. _These last days were really an emotional rollercoaster, she surely needs to rest now._ Nonetheless, Hermione looked very peaceful while she was sleeping. _As peaceful and beautiful as an ange_ _l_ , thought Harry. _Wait, what? Where did that thought come from?_ With his face turning red, Harry turned away from Hermione and walked out of the tent again.

He sat down upon a treestump, ignoring that he just had thought that Hermione was beautiful like an angel. He turned his mind back to their quest, and what their next plans would be. He realised that he had forgotten to tell Hermione that he wanted to go to Godric's Hollow. Well, that's what he had to do tomorrow then.

He also thought about Hermione's words about how symbols in itself aren't necessarily evil just because an evil person misuses a symbol. Maybe that mark - _Grindelwald's Mark,_ Harry thought, as he still didn't know the meaning of the symbol - was already inked in the book before anyone had heard of Grindelwald. Dumbledore had become over a hundred years old after all. Maybe he already owned the book as a child, so surely no one at that time would have linked the symbol to Grindelwald. Then again, maybe because the symbol was now seen as Grindelwald's Mark, Dumbledore had left the book to Hermione so she could see the connection between Grindelwald and the symbol. Could there be a connection between Grindelwald and Horcruxes?

Harry's thoughts were abruptly interrupted when he heard screaming coming from the tent.

 _"_ NO! PLEASE! HELP! DON'T GO! THEY WILL KILL ME! HARRY! HARRY!"

 _HERMIONE!_ Harry rushed into the tent to see what was happening. Inside he saw Hermione tossing and turning in her bed while screaming out. "HARRY! PLEASE! HELP ME! DON'T LEAVE ME TO DIE!"

Harry quickly knelt down beside Hermione's bed, and gently shook her shoulder to wake her up. "Hermione! Please, wake up! You're having a nightmare! I'm right here!"

When Hermione finally woke up, and saw Harry's friendly but worried face, she immediately wrapped her arms around him and broke down in tears. "Oh, Harry..."  
Harry gently caressed his best friend and let her cry out upon his shoulder, wordlessly giving comfort with his presence. Whatever Hermione had dreamt, it must have been terrible.

Slowly but surely Hermione calmed down. "Oh Harry, I'm sorry. I must surely have scared you." "Don't worry about it," answered Harry. "But can you tell me what kind of nightmare could have given you this kind of reaction?"

As Harry sat down on the bed beside Hermione, she started telling her nightmare, still mildly shaking and sobbing.

"I-It was terrible! It must have been because of this talk about Grindelwald and the Second World War. I... I dreamed I was a Jewish woman, living in Germany. Naturally, the Nazis wanted me dead, so my German boyfriend and I tried to flee the country. We hoped we could be safe in Switzerland. Only, when we came close to the border, my boyfriend abandoned me and went back home, while the Nazis were approaching to capture me. Oh Harry... it was only a nightmare, but I was so scared I was going to die!"

Harry embraced Hermione again. "Don't be afraid, Hermione. Like you said, it was only a dream. Everything's OK now." Still, there was something that bothered Harry.

"Hermione, when you were screaming while you were dreaming, you called out for me. Was I..." Harry couldn't say the word "boyfriend" and so he decided to say: "...the one who abandoned you?"  
Hermione looked at him with surprise. "No... you weren't there at all. In my nightmare, my boyfriend was..."

But Harry interrupted her: "Ssh, it's OK. I understand."

Yes, Harry understood the nightmare all too well. The symbolism was too easy to see. Death Eaters and Nazis. Germans and Purebloods. Jews and Muggleborn wizards and witches. And most of all, he understood who was the boyfriend who had abandoned Hermione.

 _Ron, what have you done?! How could you have done that to Hermione?!_

It was one thing that Ron had lost faith in Harry. Harry himself often thought that this quest was hopeless. But how could he have left Hermione if he claimed he loved her, when he knew full well that the Death Eaters would happily kill her when given the chance? How could he have betrayed her so badly? No, that infernal Horcrux was no excuse. It may have strengthened Ron's negative thoughts, but they were still his own thoughts. It was not the same as being possessed, because Harry himself had briefly being possessed by Tom Riddle. He would have noticed if he had been possessed while wearing the locket.

And while Hermione clearly couldn't count on Ron, she had called out in her dream to him. _You ARE my best friend_ , she had said earlier in the day. And so, her dream alter ego had called for him, because she had faith in him. She believed he would save her.

But this time, Harry didn't mind. This time he wasn't seen as a saviour because he was the Chosen One, or The-Boy-Who-Lived. No, Hermione believed in her best friend. And hadn't he himself been thinking about how often he had been saved by her. This moment only made Harry make up his mind even more: Just like Hermione was always there for him, he would always be there for her. No matter what dangers they still had to face, he would do everything he could do for her!

He suddenly felt that Hermione took his hand. As he looked in her eyes, which were still full of tears, she begged him: "Harry... could you please...stay with me tonight? I... I know it's not logical... it was just a dream, but... I still feel so scared. I... I don't want to be alone tonight. Please... stay with me."

Harry was a bit surprised by this. He had never shared a bed with anyone before, and certainly not with a girl. Would this all not be too awkward? But then again, hadn't he just made a promise to himself that he would do everything he could do for Hermione? How could he turn down her request? How could he even consider breaking that promise so quickly after he had made it?  
Gently he kissed Hermione's hand, and whispered back: "Don't be afraid, Hermione. I'm here for you. But, give me a short moment to change clothes too."

Harry soon returned, and he had also quickly made a cup of tea for Hermione. Soon Harry climbed into the bed and Hermione snuggled close against him. They felt safe in each other's embrace. As the nightmare had drained her energy even more, Hermione had soon fallen asleep again. And despite Harry's initial uncertainty, he soon noticed that this felt... _right_. Before going to sleep himself, he carefully placed another kiss upon Hermione's forehead and whispered to his sleeping friend: "Hermione, whatever happens, I will never again let you down."

And when the darkness of sleep was finally starting to take Harry, he took one last look at the face of the sleeping Hermione before he closed his eyes, and was reminded of the words he said a few years ago:

 _"We've got one thing that Voldemort doesn't have. Something worth fighting for!"_

* * *

 **A/N: The story about the old man with the magical knapsack Hermione mentioned is a reference to the Dutch comic book series "Douwe Dabbert", drawn by Piet Wijn to scenarios by Thom Roep.**


	4. Chapter 3: Godric's Hollow

**Chapter 3: Godric's Hollow**

As Harry woke up, he felt Hermione's arms still around him. As he looked at the face of his sleeping friend, he noticed that she was smiling. Clearly all nightmares had been chased away.

Harry himself had to admit that he too had had the best sleep since a very long time. All the sorrow and hopelessness from the past few weeks had been banished to a far away corner of his mind. Although he still had very little clues about what he had to do to fulfill his quest, somehow he now had new hope. And most of all, he had another purpose. Something he realised he had always had:

 _I'm not going anywhere! One of my best friends is Muggleborn; she'll be first in line if the Chamber really has been opened!_

Those were the words he had spoken all those years ago when Dobby had tried to convince him to flee from Hogwarts. And already then he was worried more about Hermione than about himself. He took another look at his friend, and was wondering what he truly felt for her.

What made Hermione so special? Well, first of all, she was here. And she had always been there for him when nobody else was. But he knew that already. It's always been like that, so it was really nothing new.

Harry admired her intelligence, that had helped them out of dangerous moments more than once. Without her, he would have been dead in the first year already. He would have failed miserably during their quest to stop Quirrel as he would have taken the wrong potion in the Test of Logic and it would have killed him. But that was nothing new either, everyone knew that Hermione was the Brightest Witch of her Age.

So, why did he start to see Hermione in a different light now? Up till now, he fell for a different kind of girl, the sporty, fun-loving kind. Not that Hermione didn't know what fun is, but she was definitely a lot more serious. And although she always supported him during every Quidditch match, she had up till now not conquered her fear of flying.

Then suddenly he heard a soft voice:

 _"Love is not about what you want. Love is all about making your partner happy!"_

Harry looked up. _Who is there?_ He carefully let go of Hermione, who kept on sleeping, and grabbed his wand. But nobody was there to see. Could it be he just heard a voice in his mind? Come to think of it, the voice sounded familiar. Almost like... _Mother?!_

Harry noticed he was standing by his own bed. The voice had come from this direction. But there was no one to see. He abruptly made some pushing movements, but if Harry was thinking there could possibly somebody there hidden under an Invisibility Cloak, then he didn't find anyone. Suddenly he heard the voice again, only this time much softer. So soft, that he couldn't understand the words. Harry finally noticed it was coming from his mokeskin pouch.

As Harry took the Snitch from his pouch, he found out that this was the source of the voice, which was slowly fading until nothing could be heard anymore. As Harry stared at the words " _I open at the close_ ", his frustration returned. Undoubtly there was a clue inside, but it was firmly kept out of his reach!

But anger wouldn't help him. And as he was out of bed already, he could just as well start to make breakfast.

Breakfast was ready just in time to surprise Hermione with breakfast in bed. It appeared as if the night together had been refreshing for her too. But soon they had to return to the reality of the moment.

"Hermione, I want to go to Godric's Hollow."

Hermione nodded. "I thought you'd figure it out, that the place where Gryffindor's founder was born would be the ideal place to find clues about the sword."

Harry smiled. Of course the Brightest Witch of her Age would have figured this out too.

"Yes, but also... I want to visit my parent's grave. I should have done that years ago already."

Hermione gently took Harry's hand. "Yes, of course we'll go there too. But, Harry, maybe it's better to make some preparations too. Let's take some time practicing Disapparating in case we need to flee fast. And just to be sure, we can practice Disapparating under the Invisibility Cloak. Perhaps Disillusionment Charms would be sensible too, or do you think we have to use Polyjuice Potions? Then we need hairs of..."

"Hermione, no!", interrupted Harry.

Hermione looked at him in surprise: "What do you mean, no?"

Harry sighed. "Hermione, I agree with you we need to practice Disapparating. But I'm not going to use Polyjuice Potions when I go to Godric's Hollow."

Hermione didn't like this idea at all: "Harry, you are Undesirable #1, and I could as well be #2. What if somebody sees us? That's downright suicide!"

Harry just shook his head. "Please understand, Hermione. Godric's Hollow was once my home. I just can't go to my parent's grave disguised as somebody else. We have my Invisibility Cloak, that just has to be enough."

Harry had no illusions that Tom Riddle would decide not to kill him on holy ground, but despite all the doubts he had, he could be very stubborn when needed. Luckily Hermione, despite all her logic, also always had a big heart. Soon Harry was wrapped in one of her trademark hugs. "Alright, Harry. You're right, you have to be yourself when you see... your p-parents' grave."

But she added with a firm voice: "But don't think I'm giving in on the rest of the plan. We do need to practice our escape abilities."

Harry nodded. "No need to argue against that logic."

For Harry, time couldn't pass by fast enough. But after a week of practicing Apparating and Disapparating, Harry and Hermione finally left for Godric's Hollow.

Harry felt excited. This was the town that once was his home. Here he would have grown up if there had never been a Tom Riddle, Death Eaters and Wizarding Wars. He would have grown up knowing everything there is to know about magic, instead of being kept in the dark about this whole situation. He would have had friends, real friends who cared for him just for who he was, not just because he was The-Boy-Who-Lived. Heck, he wouldn't even have that scar!  
He would have had real birthday parties, and it would have been his mother who made the birthday cakes. And Hermione... of course he'd still have befriended her when they had met each other at Hogwarts. At least, he wanted to think so. Wouldn't it have been great if she had met his mother too? The Brightest Witches of their generations would have loved each other... If only there hadn't been sick minds who think they are superior to others.

Harry's hand drifted to the locket around his neck. It was his turn to wear it. He had to be careful not to let the accursed thing warp his mind with negativity.

As he looked around, he noticed that the streets were almost completely deserted. "Harry, I think it's Christmas Eve", said Hermione. Indeed, that would explain the empty streets. Everyone was either at the Church, or inside their houses to celebrate with their families.

"Well, that makes thing slightly easier. Let's take off the cloak and go to the churchyard." Hermione hesitated for a moment, but gave in. "If there's nobody who will see us, I guess it doesn't really matter. And staying under the Cloak while making footprints in the snow would be even more suspicious."

As neither of them knew the way in the town, searching for the Church wasn't easy. Harry wondered for a moment if he would see the cottage where he had been living with his parents. Noticing Harry's excitement and nervosity, Hermione took his hand and led him on through the town. Even though this was her first visit to Godric's Hollow, it would only be logical to find the Church in the centre of town. So if they'd accidentally walked down a street for so long that they'd only find houses and no more shops or pubs, they knew they had to walk back.

But as they were crossing a square (Harry assumed it was the Market Square), Hermione suddenly stopped dead.

"Harry, look!"

Hermione pointed at an obelisk in the middle of the square. It suddenly had started to transform, and eventually it had become a statue of three persons. One of them was a man who looked like an older version of Harry, and standing beside him was a beautiful, long-haired woman holding a baby boy in his arms. Harry had never imagined that would be a statue of him and his parents here. How strange to see himself without a scar.

Hermione gave Harry's hand a squeeze, to remind him she was there to comfort him. "Let's go", he said after a while. As they heard a choir sing, they turned into that direction, as surely they would find the Church there. The songs reminded Harry of Hogwarts. It was during his first Christmas there that he received the Invisibility Cloak, and unlike Hallowe'en, when disaster always seemed to strike, Christmas at Hogwarts was almost always a moment of happiness. _Wait,_ Harry thought, _that's not true. Indeed, my name came out of the Goblet of Fire at Hallowe'en, but it was also on Hallowe'en when Hermione and I officially became friends. And the Yule Ball wasn't so great, was it? All the time moping because I was not with Cho. And I really ruined that night for the Patil Twins. In hindsight, I was a fool for not asking Hermione! After all she did for me in preparation for the First Task, she should have been the first to ask!_ He felt his cheeks getting warm because of this thought.  
"Harry, are you OK?", he heard Hermione ask. "Ah...eh, it's nothing. Just the cold", he stammered. But deep inside he thought: _Maybe there is something. I really need to figure out what it is that I'm feeling for you._

Soon they arrived at the Church, and from there, finding the graveyard was easy. Hermione quietly opened the kissing gate, and they quickly moved inside. Luckily still nobody had noticed them. Now, where to find the grave of Harry's parents?

Looking at the gravestones, they found some familiar names. Apparently the Abbott family also once lived in Godric's Hollow. Or maybe they still did. Harry felt a bit ashamed about how little he knew about his schoolmates outside Gryffindor. Who could have been his friends if that sorting system hadn't existed?

As they walked hand in hand through the graveyard, Hermione suddenly pointed to one gravestone.

"Harry, look"

On the granite they spotted the names _Kendra Dumbledore_ and _Her daughter Ariana_. Below the names there was a quotation:

 _Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also._

So it had been true, the Dumbledore family had lived in Godric's Hollow, and part of the family had died here too. But to Dumbledore that connection was clearly irrelevant to the job he expected Harry to do. Harry felt his anger rise, and he was glad that Hermione could not see his face in the shadow. "Let's look further," he said curtly.

Soon Hermione pointed to another gravestone. "Harry, look! That's the mark in the book." Hermione lit her wand to read the name on the worn gravestone. "It says... I think it says Ignotus." But Harry didn't want to think about their quest now. All he cared for was finding his parents' grave. He noticed the singing had stopped and the lights in the church had just been turned off.

"Hermione, we really have to hurry now. Soon somebody will check why there are still people in the graveyard." Hermione nodded, and so they moved on. And soon, two rows further, they found what they were looking for.

The gravestone was made of white marble, and was easy to read. But Harry felt shocked when he read the words below his parents' names:

 _The last enemy that shall be destroyed is Death._

"Why are those words there? That sounds like a Death Eater idea!"

Hermione put her arm around Harry: "No, Harry. It doesn't mean defeating death like the Death Eaters mean it. It means, living beyond death. Living after death."

But the words meant nothing to Harry. _They are not living. They are gone!_ The remains of James and Lily Potter were lying there below the ground, not knowing their only son was nearby, and for a moment Harry wished that he was sleeping there beside them. _What is the point of all this? How can I ever hope to succeed in defeating Riddle? Is all this nothing but prolonging the execution? Why can't this all be over, then at least I'd be together with Mum and Dad, and Sirius? What the hell am I fighting for?_

 _NO!_ A silent scream sounded in Harry's mind, and without thinking he grabbed the locket and took it off. Again that accursed Horcrux was poisoning a mind when it was at its weakest, but Harry was still strong enough to notice this.

When he noticed he had startled Hermione, he took her in a comforting embrace. "It was that Horcrux again," she said. It wasn't a question, as it was clear what the answer would be.

"It tried to convince me to give up, to just die so I could be with my parents again.". Harry turned to the gravestone. If his parents really lived beyond death, then they should be able to hear him. _And then maybe the voice I heard in the tent was my mother's voice after all._

"Mum, dad... I apologise for waiting so long to visit you. Thanks to you, I'm still alive. I swear I'm going to honour your sacrifice and not going to throw my life away without a fight. I'm going to end this Wizarding War, not just for myself, but also for you and..."

Harry swallowed before he continued, and then pushed Hermione forward while hugging her from behind.

"...for Hermione as well. She's just like you, mom. A Muggleborn witch and the Brightest Witch of her Age. But most importantly, she is my best and most loyal friend. I wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for her. I want a Wizarding World in which she and all other Muggleborn wizards and witches can live in peace without being hunted down for reasons they could never choose. And this cannot be done without a fight. No matter how hard this quest gets, I will never give up!"

Hermione turned around to face her best friend. "Harry...", she started. But as words failed her, she hugged him tight while tears started to fall down her face. Tears of the stress of the journey mixed with tears of joy as she had heard her best friend declare his loyalty to her. They kept standing there for a while as Harry gently caressed Hermione's hair.

Harry thought they should have taken something with them to place upon the gravestone. But now it was too late. Once again Hermione showed that there seemed to be a kind of telepathy between her and Harry, as she took a rose from a nearby bush and with a circular motion from her wand it turned into a blossoming wreath of Christmas roses. She laid it down on the grave of Harry's parents, and as she went back to Harry's side, she rested her head against his shoulder, while Harry put his arm around her.

"Merry Christmas, Harry", Hermione whispered.  
"Merry Christmas, Hermione", Harry whispered back.

After a few minutes, they decided to go before somebody would notice them standing in the deserted graveyard. Silently they turned away, still holding on to each other, and walked back to the dark church and the kissing gate.


	5. Chapter 4: Neverland

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does. Nor do I own the song "Neverland", this song is written by Steve Hogarth, Steve Rothery, Mark Kelly, Pete Trewavas and Ian Mosley, who together are the band Marillion.**

 **A big thank you to all the people who enjoy and review this story. As English is not my mother language (I'm Dutch), with your support I can try my best to make the story even better.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Neverland**

 _"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"_

 _"Stand aside, you silly girl... stand aside, now!"_

"MOM!", Harry screamed. But nobody could hear him, as everything Harry saw was already in the past. Harry was horrified. A few years ago the Dementors had brought back this memory that was hidden in the corners of his mind. But now he was reliving this moment looking through the eyes of Tom Riddle.

 _Please!_ , Harry begged. _Let me wake up! I must wake up!_

But the dream continued mercilessly. Tom Riddle moved his wand... but instead of the familiar green light, a purple flame appeared, passing through the chest of a girl. A soft "oh!" passed the girl's lips, as she collapsed onto the floor!

 _HERMIONE!_

Harry, now back inside his own body, ran towards his fallen friend. _Please! Hermione! Don't be dead! It's my fault if you're dead!_

Heartbroken, Harry took his best friend in his arms. _Please, don't be dead! I'm nothing without you! Please, wake up! Hermione, please wake up!_

"HARRY! PLEASE! WAKE UP!"

As Harry looked at Hermione, he noticed her eyes were open and she was calling to him.

"Harry, please wake up!"

Harry blinked with his eyes, again and again, until he noticed that is was HE who was lying down, and Hermione was standing beside him. As he was slowly coming to, he found out that he was lying in bed, and they were both back in the tent.

Immediately he hugged Hermione, while tears run down his face. Hermione automatically reacted by running her hands through Harry's hair. It was clear to her that stupid questions like "How do you feel?" were totally redundant.

As Harry calmed down, he asked: "We've escaped. But how long have we been here?"

"You've been unconscious for the whole night, Harry. It's almost morning. Well, "unconscious" is perhaps not the right word, since you've been screaming every now and then."

This made Harry blush. _Did...did I scream out everything I screamed in my dream? Even...the words about her?_

Hermione seemed to notice that Harry felt uncomfortable, and thus changed the subject. "I couldn't get the Horcrux off you. It was stuck to your chest. I had to use a Severing Charm. So you have a mark there. I'm sorry, Harry. The snake bit you too, but I've cleaned the wound..."

Slowly but surely Harry remembered everything that had happened. After leaving the graveyard, they had seen a person whom they thought was Bathilda Bagshot, the woman who had written Dumbledore's biography. But to Harry's horror, Bathilda was in fact dead, and when he was alone with "her", Riddle's Snake had come out of the corpse and attacked. They had left just in time before Riddle could catch them. And it seemed that Hermione had once again saved his life.

Harry stood up from the bed, despite Hermione's protests.

"No, Harry, you still need to rest for a while."  
"Hermione, you've been working through the night to help me. If anyone needs a rest, it's you. No offence, but you really look terrible. I will keep watch for a while. Where is my wand?"

As Hermione didn't answer, Harry knew something was wrong.

"Hermione, where is my wand'?

As tears started to fill Hermione's eyes, Harry gently placed his hands upon her shoulders.

"Hermione, please, tell me what happened to my wand."

Hermione reached down beside the bed and gave Harry his wand. It was nearly broken in two. Only a fragile strand of phoenix feather kept the two parts still together.

To say Harry was shocked was an understatement. A wizard without wand... _How can I possibly go on now?_ A wand was like the soul of the wizard. It felt like part of Harry had died with the breaking of his wand.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, "I think it's my fault. I'm so sorry. When the snake attacked again, I fired a Blasting Spell, and it ricocheted. It must have broken the wand. If only I had tried a different spell, then maybe..."

"Then maybe," Harry interrupted, "Tom Riddle would have caught us and we'd be dead now. Please, Hermione, don't blame yourself. It was just an accident."

Harry could see the relief in Hermione's eyes when she understood he didn't blame her for what happened. But, how could he possibly go on without a wand? Right now, he was totally defenseless. And with Olivander captured by Riddle, there was no way Harry could get a new wand. He felt...empty.

What he did then, came completely out of the blue, but Harry would remember it later as one of the best decisions he had ever made. "Hermione...," he said. "Can you...please hold me for a moment?" With a forced smile, he added: "Your hugs are always the best."

With a whispered "Oh, Harry", Hermione put her arms around her best friend. Once again, they could find comfort in each other's presence. And, like magic, the radio started to play a gentle song. And as they weren't dancing, Harry could concentrate on the words that were sung...

 _ **When the darkness takes me over**_  
 _ **Face down, emptier than zero**_  
 _ **Invisible you come to me... quietly**_  
 _ **Stay beside me, whisper to me:**_  
 _ **"Here I am"**_  
 _ **And the loneliness...fades**_

 _Yes_ , Harry thought, _that's Hermione._ That's what she did, comforting him when everything seemed hopeless. She was always there for him, when nobody else was, whether it was during the Tri-Wizard Tournament, or right now, on a near hopeless quest searching for Horcruxes. Hermione was here, now and always.

 _ **Some people think I'm something**_  
 _ **Well, you gave me that, I know**_  
 _ **I always feel like nothing**_  
 _ **When I'm in the dark alone**_  
 _ **You provide the soul the spark that drives me on**_  
 _ **Makes me something more than flesh and bone**_

 _Yes, this is like when we started the DA. I was the leader, but only because Hermione believed I should be the leader. She always believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. She thought I was a great wizard, even when I thought I wasn't as great as she is._  
And her belief was what made him go on. And not just that, she was part of the reason he was fighting. To stop Riddle and his discrimination, so she and other Muggleborn wizards could live in peace instead of fear.

 _ **At times like these**_  
 _ **Any fool can see**_  
 _ **Any fool can see**_  
 _ **Your love inside me**_

These words made Harry wonder. Was this love he felt for Hermione? Was it really more than just friendship? There had been quite a few moments that he had been thinking about this, but up till now, he wasn't sure. Could it be? Then again, why not?

 _ **All these years**_  
 _ **Truth in front of my eyes**_  
 _ **While I denied**_  
 _ **What my heart knows was right**_

 _ **At times like these**_  
 _ **Any fool can see**_  
 _ **Any fool can see**_  
 _ **Your love inside me**_

 _ **And I wanna be someone**_  
 _ **I wanna be someone**_  
 _ **I wanna be someone**_  
 _ **Who someone would want to be**_  
 _ **Someone would want to be**_

And finally, Harry understood. When before he had wondered what made Hermione so great, he had thought of perfectly valid reasons, yet he had dismissed them because they were "nothing new". Again, he had been taking Hermione for granted! But that didn't change the fact that they were perfectly valid reasons to love Hermione. The truth was in front of his eyes, but he had denied what his heart knew was right!  
Yes, she was his best friend, but wasn't that actually the perfect reason to love her? What was the point in even thinking about loving someone else if Hermione was the one person he trusted unconditionally?

He now also understood the words he had heard coming from the Snitch: _Love is not about what you want, love is all about making the other one happy!_ And could there possibly be more happiness than in doing all you can to keep your partner alive?

 _Now I finally understand Love. Love isn't jealousy. Love isn't bickering. Even though perfection doesn't exist. Love is happiness! Love is understanding! Love is unconditional!_

As the song calmed down for a moment, Harry finally gave in to his feelings. Looking Hermione in the eyes, he gently caressed her cheek, and without any second thoughts, he bent towards her and pressed his lips against hers.

And Harry was overjoyed when Hermione answered his kiss. As the song continued, they at last released the feelings they had for each other, but were never before able to express.

 _ **Wendy Darling**_  
 _ **In the kitchen**_  
 _ **With your dreams**_

 _ **Will you fly**_  
 _ **Again**_  
 _ **Take to the sky**_  
 _ **Again**_

 _ **Undo the hooks**_  
 _ **Once and for all**_  
 _ **Banish the tic tic tic tock tock tock**_  
 _ **Again**_

All pain was gone, all the stress didn't matter. For a moment there was no Tom Riddle, no Death Eaters, no Wizarding War, just two friends overjoyed and amazed because of the love they had found.

 _ **Will you be**_  
 _ **Yourself for me**_  
 _ **'Cause I can take it**_  
 _ **I can stand it**_

 _ **Anything**_  
 _ **When you're with me**_  
 _ **I can stand**_

 _ **But when you're gone**_  
 _ **I'll never land**_  
 _ **In Neverland**_

But Harry knew he had nothing to fear. Hermione had never let him down. And he was sure she never would. Even when everything seemed hopeless, he knew he could overcome every obstacle as long as she was with him, believing in him.  
But without her, he'd be nothing. He remembered the moment he just dreamed about, the memory of the Battle at the Department of Mysteries. Sirius' death had freaked him out, even made him try an Unforgivable Curse. But the thought of Hermione being dead had crushed him. But he didn't want to think of that. All that mattered was that she was here beside him. And together, they could do everything.

 _ **Want to be someone someone would want to be**_  
 _ **someone someone would want to be**_  
 _ **someone someone would want to be**_  
 _ **someone someone someone someone**_

 _ **Any fool**_  
 _ **Any fool can see**_  
 _ **Any fool can see**_  
 _ **Your love**_  
 _ **Inside me**_

As the kissing, hugging and cuddling grew more intense, Harry had to chuckle because of the final lyrics of the song. _Who's the fool?_ All those years, so many people had been thinking there was something between him and Hermione, from Rita Skeeter to Cho and even Dumbledore. It seemed that Harry himself was the fool for not seeing it himself.

As the song was coming to an end, Harry and Hermione looked each other in the eyes, and Harry said the simple words that have been life-changing for centuries:

"Hermione... I love you!"

Hermione smiled back to Harry and answered: "I love you too, Harry!"

As any more words were redundant, they again took each other in a warm embrace and covered each other's face with kisses.

But after some time Harry said: "Well, perhaps you're right, Hermione. We both need some rest. I need to recover from the wounds, and you have to sleep after watching over me all night."

As Hermione agreed, they were soon lying in bed, Hermione resting her head carefully upon her boyfriend's chest. After Harry kissed the crown of his girlfriend's head, he said: "Hermione, I've forgotten to ask, but where are we now?"

Hermione answered: "This is the Forest of Dean, Harry. I've been here very often. My parents...we came camping here. Maybe we should stay here, Harry. Grow old..."


	6. Ch 5: She'll never know him like I do

**Chapter 5: "She will never know him like I do"**

When Harry woke up, he found it was already close to dusk. But if he felt any irritation because yet another day had been wasted, then this feeling soon disappeared when he looked towards Hermione, whose head was still resting on his chest.

Although he felt like he could keep on watching Hermione sleeping on his chest for hours, he also felt he needed to get out of bed and take a walk. After sleeping for the biggest part of the day, and the night before that, his muscles felt stiff. So he carefully stood up, and like Prince Charming, he kissed his Sleeping Beauty to wake her up.

"Mmm, did you have a good sleep too, Harry?"

Harry smiled: "I feel like I'm still dreaming, darling." Hermione smiled back. "Then I think we must be dreaming the same dream." The sight of Hermione smiling made Harry's heartbeat accelerate.

"Hermione, shall we go for a walk? I've been in bed a little too long." But unlike Harry, Hermione still felt a bit tired. "I need a little more time, Harry". Harry understood, given how hard she had worked to heal the wounds the snake had given him.

"But if you're going outside, please take my wand with you. It may be not the same as your wand, but at least you'll have some protection."

Harry took Hermione's wand... and suddenly a strange sensation rushed through his body. It almost felt like the moment when he had his own wand in his hand for the first time.

Hermione also noticed there was something going on. "Harry, what is it?"

As an answer, Harry tried a relatively simple spell: "LUMOS!"

To the surprise of both, a small light appeared from Hermione's wand. Somehow, Hermione's wand worked perfectly for Harry as well.

After the light disappeared with "Nox", Harry did another test: "Accio teacup." One of the teacups in the tent immediately flew towards Harry, who caught it in his hand.

Both Harry and Hermione were amazed. Even though wandmakers only used certain combinations of materials for their wands, and thus logically there had to be some wizards who had almost exactly the same wand, they had never heard of a wizard that could use two types of wands perfectly. What Harry just had done was supposed to be impossible!

"Well, at least I don't have to worry about you not having any protection when you're outside. See you in a moment, love," Hermione said and kissed her boyfriend's lips.

As Harry walked through the Forest of Dean, he looked back at the past few days, and he just felt like the happiest man alive. After all these years, he had finally found Love. True Love. It almost made the horrible years at the Dursleys seem worthwhile. Almost.

After Harry had gone jogging for a while, he sat down with his back against a tree. As it was already getting dark, he knew he had to go back to the tent soon. But he surrendered himself to a brief moment of daydreaming.

If it weren't for Tom Riddle, he would happily accept Hermione's suggestion to stay in this forest and grow old together. But Harry also understood too well his fate: They would never be safe unless Riddle was defeated.

Yet the thought of Riddle couldn't bring him down right now. Even the Horcrux around his neck couldn't bring him down. All he could think of was Hermione. How different this love was, when compared to the feelings he once had for Cho and Ginny. It felt like he made the same mistake twice. Cho was a beautiful girl who was into Quidditch. And so was Ginny. But he had never felt really comfortable around Cho. And his feelings for Ginny seemed to have come completely out of the blue. It now seemed hard to believe that he once felt jealous because a girl he had mostly ignored (to the point that he even had forgotten that Riddle had possessed her during his Second Year) was dating someone else.

But being with Hermione, it felt as natural as breathing. As she had always been by his side, she knew him better than anyone else. _That's the best basis for Love: Loyalty and Trust._  
Harry let out a sigh of happiness. Even though they officially were a couple for just one day, he knew he wanted to do everything to let this new relationship grow. Once Riddle was gone and the wounds of the war had been healed, he wanted to do with Hermione what any couple did. Going out on a real date and all that romantic stuff. Of which, Harry had to admit, he was not an expert. But that didn't matter, he wanted to learn all about that. He wanted to learn everything that made Hermione happy. _Well, at least we already had our first dance!_

Harry wondered what it must have been like for his parents when they realised their feelings for each other. Yes, his father may have been arrogant in the past, and Harry remembered how furious he had been when he found out his father had been a bully. Then again, the one who was bullied was Snape, that filthy murderous Death Eather. Harry now felt surprised how angry he had been, especially when he had seen and heard Snape's memory two years ago when Snape called Harry's mother a "filthy little Mudblood." For those words, Snape did not deserve any sympathy!

At that moment, Harry saw a bright light appear before him, moving towards the tree against which he was sitting. Instinctively he grabbed for his wand - _no, Hermione's wand_ \- and stood up, being ready for whatever was coming his way, while the light came closer and grew brighter and brighter.

What appeared between the trees was the last thing Harry expected. A silver white doe approached Harry with head held high. Somehow the figure seemed familiar. _It's a Patronus!_

Harry stepped forward to the Patronus doe, which suddenly turned around and walked away.

"No, wait! Please, come back!"

But the doe just moved further into the forest. Harry had no choice than to follow her. For a short moment he wondered if he shouldn't go back and warn Hermione first. But if he did that, the doe would be gone. _I must take the risk. A Patronus isn't Dark Magic. Dark Wizards cannot even cast a Patronus! It has to be safe._

Harry didn't know how long he had followed the doe, but suddenly she came to a halt. As Harry tried to speak again, the Patronus vanished. Now Harry started to fear. While the Patronus was with him, he was safe, or so he had thought. Now he was all alone, without a clue why he was brought here.

As Harry cast _Lumos_ , he noticed that something was reflecting the light back at him. Nearby he found a frozen pool. But something else was glinting too. A kind of silver cross...

Harry fell on his knees and held Hermione's wand to the ice, trying to shine as much light as possible into the pool. What he saw lying at the bottom was a sword!

 _THE SWORD OF GRYFFINDOR! IT IS HERE!_

How could this be? How could the Sword of Gryffindor be so close to the place where they had set up camp? The Patronus! Did the person to whom the Patronus belonged put the Sword in the pond? But then, why didn't he (or she) give it to them personally if he knew they needed it? But no, the Sword must have been here for a long time already to be lying under the ice.

Harry's thoughts turned back to the Sword. It didn't really matter how it got here, all that mattered was that it was here. And Harry had the locket, soon he would put an end to that infernal Horcrux with the aid of the Sword. All he needed to do was to pick it up.

He pointed the wand at the Sword and called out: " _Accio Sword!"_

But the Sword didn't move. Of course not, that would have been too easy. Harry remembered Dumbledore saying: _"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that from the hat."_ Now, what made somebody a true Gryffindor. Although Harry had started to dislike the Sorting System, as he felt it was one of the reasons why division and discrimination still existed, he knew that was the house of bravery, daring nerve and chivalry.

Harry knew what he had to do to get the Sword. He looked around one more time, but he was sure there was nobody there to attack him, otherwise this would have already happened. _Well, I guess it's time for some nightswimming. Too bad I have to do it alone!_ The thought of going into the pool together with Hermione made Harry blush.

Harry stripped off until he stood in his underwear, placing his clothes and his pouch under a nearby tree. Then he cast a _Diffindo_ at the ice. Although the pool was not deep, it was clear to Harry he had to submerge entirely into the ice cold water. But delaying would not make the water any warmer. After placing Hermione's wand as a beacon on the ground, he jumped straight in.

The feeling was like a freezing hell. The cold made it hard to breathe, and his whole body was starting to feel numb. Harry felt like he only had one chance to get the Sword out of the pool. Gathering all his courage, he dived down, pushing through the water until he reached the hilt of the sword and started to pull it upwards.

Suddenly Harry felt something tightening around his neck. First he thought some weeds had wrapped around him, and he raised his hand towards his neck to free himself. Then he found it was the chain of the Horcrux that was trying to strangle him.

Harry started to kick around wildly, but instead of pushing him towards the surface, his wild movements brought him to the rocky side of the pool, while his stiffened fingers were unable to remove the Horcrux. Slowly Harry lost consciousness. He was going to drown and everything would be lost. _Hermione... I'm sorry! I've failed!._ It was over, there was nothing more he could do. Death was near, and Harry could already feel his cold embrace...

Suddenly, Harry gasped for air and instead of water he felt snow in his face. Nearby, another person was coughing and gasping for breath. Harry would recognise that voice everywhere. _Again she has saved the life of this complete idiot!_

When Harry had gathered enough strength to get up, he turned to see Hermione. She was lying in the snow, still gasping for air. Harry didn't know how she found him, but something must have warned her that he was in danger as she was here in nothing more than her now completely soaked night clothes, holding the Horcrux on a now broken chain in her hand. Harry quickly looked away, hoping she wouldn't see how much he was blushing because of the sight of her wet nightclothes accentuating the perfect shape of her body.

 _"HARRY POTTER, WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!"_

Despite her anger, Harry could hear the worry and also the relief that she was in time to save him (again) in Hermione's voice. Before he could say anything, Hermione pushed him down and took him in her trademark embrace.

"If you ever going to do something stupid again, at least do it togehter with me. I haven't saved you from that snake just to let you drown alone over here! And really, when you took off your clothes to go swimming, then why didn't you think of taking this cursed thing off too!?"

"Hermione, I..."

"Oh, be quiet, you idiot! I didn't want an answer! I'm just glad that I came here just in time to save you. But honestly, if you hadn't send your Patronus..."

"My Patronus? What do you mean, Hermione. I didn't send my Patronus to you."

"You didn't? Then who did it? Oh, of course! I was in such a hurry to find you that I didn't look at it too carefully, but that Patronus was a doe, not a stag! It had no antlers!"

"A doe? I see, then the same person who brought me to the pool must have warned you. I don't know who it is, but clearly he's on our side."

As Harry started to get up, he could see the Sword lying on Hermione's other side. "We finally found the Sword. Let's put an end to this Horcrux once and for all." And after short thought, Harry continued: "Hermione, you took the Sword out of the water, I think you should now be the one to use it."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, Harry, let's do it. Then we'll be one step closer to destroying Riddle for good."

"But be careful, Hermione. No doubt the Horcrux wll fight. It nearly strangled me, and the Horcrux in Riddle's diary also tried to kill me."

But Harry could see the determination in Hermione's face and he couldn't help feeling proud of his girlfriend. Somehow he knew Hermione would not fail him. Then again, there was no way to know what the Horcrux would do now.

"Ready, Hermione? I'm going to open it, using Parseltongue, on the count of three. One...two...three. _Open_ "

A hissing and snarling sound escaped from Harry's lips and the locket opened. But before Hermione could even move, a black cloud appeared from the locket, and a cold hissing voice was heard:

" _I have seen your heart, Hermione Granger, and it is mine."_

"Don't listen, Hermione", Harry said harshly, "Stab it!"

 _"A Mudblood know-it-all, constantly humiliated by the persons whom she calls her best friends. One of them always jealous, the other one always treating her as second best, no matter what she did for him."_

Hermione lowered the arm which held the Sword, seemingly unable to move, as the cloud seemed to turn solid. It took the shape of Harry, but not Harry as she knew him. This was a twisted form of Harry, handsome but utterly evil and a cold look in his eyes.

 _"Why didn't you leave instead of Ron? You're an insufferable know-it-all, constantly holding me back. Has a battle ever been won without taking a risk? But no, leave it to Hermione to waste precious time until a simple spell has been practiced to death._

"Hermione, don't listen to him! Please, stab that locket!"

A second figure appeared from the smoke. It looked like Ginny, but this figure too was also an evil distortion like the "Riddle-Harry" was.

 _"Smart Hermione, always knowing better. But never accepting what Harry is. Harry is the Chosen One, not you! Who are you to tell him what he must or mustn't do? Do you think you can become the Saviour of the Wizarding World when Harry is dead because you were always holding him back? You are nothing! If Harry hadn't saved you from that Troll, you wouldn't even be here!"_

"Hermione, please! STAB IT!", Harry yelled. But Hermione didn't move an inch, while Riddle-Ginny wrapped herself like a snake around Riddle-Harry.

 _"Ginny believes in me. She understands what must be done. You are nothing but a millstone around my neck!"_

As the lips of Riddle-Harry and Riddle-Ginny, both naked now, met, Harry was surprised by the last sound he expected to hear: Hermione's laughter! _She's laughing?!_

Indeed, Hermione laughed out loud. And no matter how strange it seemed, it was clear that Hermione wasn't going crazy. It did sound like somebody had just told her a funny joke.

"Oh my, Tom, you truly know nothing about love. Don't you realise how ridiculous this looks? That's not kissing, that's eating somebody's face!"

Harry couldn't help laughing too when he heard Hermione's remark.

"I may be far from perfect, but I know Harry trusts me unconditionally, just like I trust him. He knows that everything I do, I do for him, to keep him alive. That may seem less heroic, but what's so heroic about acting blindly? That's something Ginny doesn't understand: Harry never wanted to be a hero, he's only forced into a situation he would never have chosen if he had a choice. Besides, where was Ginny when the whole school turned against Harry. Where was she when everyone, including her brother, thought Harry was a glory-seeking cheat who somehow fooled the Goblet of Fire? Just when Harry needed support the most, she was not there.  
And yes, I admit that without Harry I wouldn't be here, but that's exactly the reason why I'm with him. I'm judging Harry by his deeds, not by some fairytale stories that have no truth, or because of some vague prophecy. Harry is my friend for being a true friend. I don't love him because he's the Chosen One, I love him because he's "just Harry". And she... She will never know him like I do."

Hermione raised the Sword up high. "And for Harry, I'm staying by his side and we will bring you down, together!" With those words, Hermione swung down the sword, cutting through Riddle-Harry and Riddle-Ginny and shattering the locket. A long drawn-out scream could be heard, and Harry turned around. Yet there was nobody to be seen.

As Hermione sank down on her knees, Harry immediately rushed to his girlfriend and took her in his arms.

"You did great, Hermione", Harry said. To his relief, Hermione smiled back at him. "You know, that felt good!"

Harry didn't need to say anything. He understood too well. The Horcrux was gone, and all that they had seen and heard was nothing but things they already knew. There was no need to discuss it, they had already decided that all the mistakes they had made before were matters of the past. And the past was gone. All that mattered was the future they were going to make together.

"I love you, Hermione. Nothing and no one can come between us. I don't know what the future will bring, but I only want a future with you in it.

As Hermione looked into Harry's green eyes, she answered: "I love you too, Harry. Like I said, I'm not saving your life just to have you killed another time. I will fight with you for a save world. We will be together, now and always."

As the two lovers started to hug, Harry noticed that Hermione was still wearing nothing more than her wet nightclothes. "Good Merlin, Hermione! We have to go back to the tent and get you some dry warm clothes before you get sick!" Without waiting for an answer, he picked up Hermione and carried her to the tent.

Inside the tent, Hermione said: "Harry, you have to keep yourself warm too." Blushing slightly, she continued: "Well, given that we both need warmth, we could...use the hot tub together."  
Harry blushed too. _Fantastic job, Harry! Didn't you want to take it easy and let this love grow naturally? Instead, you are now forced to take a bath with Hermione only one day after becoming boyfriend and girlfriend!_ Then again, bathing together would undoubtly be a lot better than lying in bed with pneumonia.

Soon Harry and Hermione were together in the bath. Any nervosity was quickly "washed away" by the love they felt for each other. Still, they took it easy and slow. The affectionate touches were still rather careful, as both of them didn't want to rush things. But that didn't mean they couldn't be playful. And as they both found the meaning of "Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours", Harry couldn't help to feel pleasure when touching Hermione's perfectly soft skin. _Well, the heat of this water combined with the warmth of love will surely drive any sickness away._

But there was one last surprise. while the two lovers were bathing. As Harry helped Hermione with washing her hair, he smelled a familiar fragrance while massaging Hermione's head with the shampoo. _Wait a minute! This is..._ Yes, Harry had smelled this before. This was exactly the same flowery smell that had come from the Love Potion in the year before. And Hermione's shampoo smelled exactly the same. This discovery made Harry feel stupid. _This is why a Love Potion should not be used as a guide to Love. Yes, I love this smell, I love the smell of flowers, but anybody's hair can smell like that when using the right shampoo._  
No, this only showed how dangerous Love Potions were. Like Slughorn said last year, Love Potions cannot create True Love. Therefore its smell cannot point out True Love either.

No, True Love could only be found through the same way as True Friendship. It was also the same way as through which respect was earned: By judging someone by her deeds and not just by words. And Hermione had shown again and again she deserved to be loved.

Harry placed a kiss on Hermione's bare shoulder and whispered: "You are the best, Hermione. And you are right, you're the only one who really knows me at all."


	7. Ch 6: This is why I'm still fighting!

**Chapter 6: "This is why I'm still fighting."**

 _"HERMIONE!"_

If Harry was thinking he'd only see memories of how their love had grown, the next memory threw him completely off balance. With a silent scream inside his mind he saw the worst moment in their adventures: The day he almost lost Hermione.

Imprisoned in the cellar of Malfoy Manor he again heard every scream Hermione cried out when Bellatrix Lestrange tortured her. And Harry wanted to scream out too as every scream from Hermione went through him like physical pain. Only Luna's words stopped Harry from screaming: "Be quiet, Harry. If you scream out, they'll know for sure they have captured Harry Potter, and then they will surely kill you and Hermione."

Everything seemed to have gone wrong because of some bad luck. The day had begun with a visit to Luna's father to ask him about Grindelwald's Mark. There they heard all about "The Deathly Hallows". Hermione had explained it all with the story of "The Three Brothers". Three men who had tricked Death had received three magical items from Death: A wand more powerful than any other wand, a stone with which the dead could be brought back to the world of the living and an invisibility cloak. Although Hermione had been very sceptical, they both agreed that at the moment this was the only clue they had. Harry even started to wonder if the Resurrection Stone could be hidden inside the Snitch. It would explain the moment when he thought he'd heard his mother's voice.

But Luna's father turned out to be a traitor. Or rather, he was blackmailed as the Death Eaters had imprisoned Luna. Harry and Hermione soon noticed that Luna was missing, and while Mr. Lovegood was keeping them busy, he had warned the Death Eaters. Making sure they were seen, so Luna and Mr. Lovegood wouldn't be punished for false alarm, Harry and Hermione quickly disapparated...

...only to appear again close to a group of Snatchers! This surprise meeting with the enemy made another Apparition impossible, as the nervosity would heighten the risk of Splinching. They were soon captured, but not before Hermione fired a Stinging jinx at Harry, making his face swell. "I'm sorry, love", Hermione cried out. But Harry understood she did it to make sure the Snatchers wouldn't recognise him.

But the bad luck didn't end there. They were taken to Malfoy Manor! And Harry knew too well that of all Death Eaters, the Malfoys would surely recognise him and Hermione. Therefore, he was quite surprised about Draco Malfoy's passive reaction when asked whether or not they had captured Potter.

"I'm not sure, it could be."

Even with his swollen head, Draco surely must have understood that a boy travelling with Hermione Granger _had_ to be Harry Potter. Why did _Draco_ , of all people, help Harry now? Even though it wasn't much, Draco's actions now made sure that Harry didn't fall into Riddle's hands, as Bellatrix warned Lucius not to call for the master if they weren't 100% sure they had captured Potter.

Instead, they searched Harry's and Hermione's belongings for clues. And that's where it completely went wrong. When Bellatrix found the Sword of Gryffindor she freaked out. Harry was locked up in the cellar, while Bellatrix kept Hermione with her for interrogation.

Harry soon found out he was not alone in the dungeon. Luna was also a prisoner, as well as Dean Thomas, Mr. Olivander and the goblin Griphook. But Harry felt no joy when seeing his friends again. All he wanted to do was save Hermione. But begging to have him take her place was pointless; they would simply kill them both. But there HAD to be a way, before it was too late!

In desperation he searched his pouch, even though he felt it was futile. His broken wand wouldn't do anything, the Snitch would not open, and the shard of the two-way mirror... _had somebody looking back at him! It looked like Dumbledore's eye!_

Seizing his only chance, Harry cried out: "Please, we need help! We're in the cellar of Malfoy Manor! Please help us!"

The eye winked and disappeared. For a moment nothing seemed to happen, apart from yet another piercing scream from Hermione, and then, with the cracking sound, Dobby had apparated into the dungeon. And whoever had sent him, also understood Harry had to be without a wand, so Dobby handed him over a wand. Harry had then asked Dobby to take Olivander, Dean and Griphook to a safe place and then come back - at Luna's suggestion they were taken to Bill and Fleur Weasley at Shell Cottage and Harry agreed this might be safer than the Burrow, as that house had already been attacked during Bill and Fleur's wedding.

Luna however had refused to leave Harry alone in his attempt to save Hermione, and as Harry had seen the painting Luna had made in her bedroom as a tribute to her friends, he didn't have the heart to send her away. It seemed luck was back on their side again when Wormtail was sent down to investigate the noise in the cellar. As Harry tried to attack Wormtail, the traitor tried to strangle Harry. But as Harry reminded Wormtail about his life debt, the rat hesitated for a moment. And because of this moment of weakness, the rat was strangled by his own silver hand. With Wormtail dead, Luna took his wand. Now they both were able to defend themselves.

Harry and Luna arrived just in time. Hermione had been tortured into unconsciousness and Bellatrix told Greyback to dispose of her. As Bellatrix was standing with her back to the door, Harry's Expelliarmus took her by surprise. At the same time Luna fired a quick series of "Stupefies" at the Death Eaters who were standing at the other side of the room. Swift as a beam of moonlight, Luna grabbed the wands of the Death Eaters. Harry was glad to see one of the wands was Hermione's wand. That wand would surely work better than the wand he was using now.

 _"STOP, OR SHE WILL DIE!"_

Harry looked up. While they had been busy with the other Death Eaters, Bellatrix had picked up the unconscious Hermione and now held a knife against her throat.

"Drop your wands! Drop them, or we'll see how dirty her blood really is."

Harry and Luna tried to buy time as long as they could, but they knew Bellatrix too well to know she wasn't bluffing. She would cut Hermione's throat if they didn't surrender. So they dropped the wands and raised their hands.

"Good! Draco, pick up their wands. Now, I think we need to tie up the little heroes while Greyback takes care of Miss Mudblood."

Suddenly a grinding sound came from up above. Dobby had returned and was unscrewing the chandelier. Bellatrix had no choice: To get away in time before the chandelier came crashing down, she had to let go of Hermione. In this moment of chaos, Harry and Luna seized their chance: While Luna again showed how swift she could be, she pulled Hermione away before the chandelier crashed down upon her, while Harry grabbed the surprised Draco and wrested the wands from his grip.

Bellatrix was furious: "You filthy elf! You nearly killed me!"

Dobby pretended he was ashamed: "Dobby never meant to kill! Dobby only meant to maim... or seriously injure!"

Mad with anger, Bellatrix cried out to her sister: "Kill him, Cissy! Kill the vermin!"

Narcissa aimed at Dobby, but with a snap of Dobby's fingers and another cracking sound, Narcissa's wand flew through the air.

"You filthy elf! How dare you defy your masters!"

"Dobby has no master!", squealed the elf. "Dobby is a free elf, and he's come to save Harry Potter and his friends!"

"STUPEFY!", Harry shouted out. As Bellatrix was stunned, Harry quickly grabbed the Sword of Gryffindor. "Dobby, let's get out of here!"

With one hand, Harry held on to Luna, who herself was still holding on to the unconscious Hermione, while Harry's other hand took Dobby's hand. While the free elf apparated towards Shell Cottage, the last thing Harry saw was a flash a silver heading towards them.

 _Hang on, Hermione, we're out of here at last!_

As Harry felt ground under his feet again, he immediately turned to see Hermione. She was lying down on the ground, still unconscious, with her head in Luna's lap.

"Hold on, Hermione! We're safe now! We're at Bill and Fleur's house... That's where we are, right, Dobby?"

Harry turned to look at Dobby...but the sight of the house-elf shocked him.

"DOBBY!"

Harry now saw that the flash of silver had in fact been a knife, which had fatally struck Dobby.

"Dobby! Please - don't die, don't die - HELP!"

Harry cried out to the people at the cottage: "HELP!"

"Harry... Potter..." Dobby's eyes turned towards Harry.

"Dobby...is... with friends. Dobby... is happy to be...with friends."

And with these words, the eyes of the free elf turned to glass. And with the breaking of Dobby's eyes, something inside Harry seemed to break too, as he screamed until he ran out of breath and fell down upon the beach. And that's how Bill and Fleur found him.

The next thing Harry remembered was him lying in bed, he found Luna sitting beside the bed.

"Harry! I'm glad you're awake..."

But despite the friendship he felt for Luna, Harry wasn't interested in small talk. "Where's Hermione? And Dobby?"

As always, Luna was incredibly understanding. "Hermione is in the room beside this one. And Dobby..." For the first time ever, Harry could see sadness in Luna's eyes.

"I want to bury Dobby properly. No magic." After that, Harry rushed into the other room. Bill and Fleur were taking care of her.

"Don't worry, Harry.", Bill said. "Hermione is strong, she'll be back on her feet real soon."

Without thinking, Harry kissed Hermione and whispered to her: "Don't worry, love, everything will be OK." This resulted in some raised eyebrows from Bill and Fleur. _Oh damn, they probably still think Hermione is Ron's girlfriend. Well, they will find out the truth soon. But first, Dobby needs a proper burial._

"There's a lot we need to discuss. You deserve an explanation about what happened. But let us first give Dobby his final resting place. I will dig his grave. Will you please help me?

And soon, Harry, Luna, Dean and Bill were working together on Dobby's grave while Fleur watched over Hermione, Olivander and Griphook. Nobody said a word, and the quiet work gave Harry time to think things over, something he seemed to be doing quite often recently.

 _What kind of friend am I? Time and again I have been taking my friends for granted. First Hermione, and now Dobby came to save me from Malfoy Manor. He gave his life for me while I rarely paid attention to him. Dobby... please forgive me! I swear your death won't be in vain! I WILL bring Riddle down, even if I have to pay with my own life to do so!_

As Dobby's corpse was carried to the grave, Luna closed his eyes. "There, now he could be sleeping." Harry made the finishing touch to the grave by taking a rock and with the help of Hermione's wand he engraved the words "HERE LIES DOBBY, A FREE ELF" into it.

After a moment of silence, they all went back inside. But Harry wasted no time and immediately went to see Hermione. Sitting down beside the bed, Harry took her hand in his, placing a kiss on her fingers. As if by magic, Hermione's opened her eyes, but her voice made it clear she still felt weak.

"Harry..."

Harry gave her hand an encouraging light squeeze. "I'm here, love. We're safe now."

Bill and Fleur discreetly left them alone for a moment. They of course knew that Ron had left them, as he had spent most of the time at Shell Cottage, until a surprise visit from their parents the week before. Molly had been furious when she found out that Ron had abandoned his friends and had taken him back to the Burrow. Surely Harry would tell what had happened soon.

As Hermione had fallen asleep again, Harry kept watching over her, still holding her hand. A mix of sadness, anger and determination rushed through Harry. Sadness over Dobby's death, anger over the "Mudblood" scar on Hermione's arm, and determination that he will destroy Riddle and his Death Eaters once and for all.

The silence was broken by a knock on the door. "Come in," Harry replied. It was Mr. Olivander.

"Harry, I just wanted to thank you for saving me from Malfoy Manor." Harry just shook his head. "I appreciate your thanks, Mr. Olivander. But it was Dobby who saved us, not me. And for that, he paid with his life."

Suddenly Harry rememberd something, to which Mr. Olivander certainly would have the answer.

"Mr. Olivander, may I ask you a question. You see, a few days my wand broke, and ever since I've occasionally used Hermione's wand. But Hermione's wand works perfectly for me too. How is this possible?"

Mr. Olivander's eyes started to twinkle. "Ah, it's good to hear such happy news in these dark times. If I may ask, Harry, what are your feelings for Ms. Granger?"

Harry was surprised about such a question, but apparently the answer to this had something to do with the answer to his own question. "I love her, Mr. Olivander, and she loves me. More than anything, she's the reason I haven't given up the fight against Riddle. She's given me everything, more than I could ever ask of anyone, to support me in this fight, and she's the one person I trust unconditionally."

Olivander smiled at these words. "Well, that explains everything, doesn't it?"

Harry however didn't understand. "Sir, when I came to you, you said the wand chooses the wizard. But how can a wand choose TWO wizards?"

Olivander chuckled. "In a way, you can say a wand CAN choose two wizards. But that requires the strongest possible magic. I think you are very familiar with that kind of magic, as it has protected you before."

Finally, Harry understood: "Love!", he said with a warm gaze at the sleeping Hermione.

"Exactly, Harry. Love. True Love. Not many know it, as it rarely happens that a wizard needs to use somebody else's wand. And when they do, most of the time their magic becomes weaker because the wand hasn't chosen the wizard. But when True Love is involved, the wand will work perfectly for the partner of its chosen wizard. You probably have heard of the expression "We are one" when two persons who love each other deeply talk about each other. That's exactly what the wand is thinking: It sees you and Ms. Granger as one."

With a smile on his face, Harry turned to Mr. Olivander. "Thank you for explaining this, Sir. You were right, it's good to hear such happy news in these dark times."

At that moment there was another knock on the door. It was Bill. "Harry, can we have a moment to talk." Harry knew this had to happen, but he wasn't really looking forward to this. After all, Bill still was Ron oldest brother, and it must seem weird that Harry was now in love with Hermione, while Bill probably thought that Hermione was still Ron's girlfriend.

"Harry, Ron came here after he... left you. He didn't dare to come home, and if our parents hadn't visited last week by surprise, he'd still be here. He felt totally ashamed and wanted to go back to you immediately, but couldn't find you anymore..."

But Harry had enough. If the imprisonment in Malfoy Manor had showed him anything, it was the seriousness of the situation they're in. There was no more time for excuses and small talk.

"Does it really matter what he felt afterwards? Ron abandoned us! Excuses won't make a difference!"

"Harry, you must understand that Ron was worried..."

"Oh, he was worried! Then why was he not worried about Hermione, a MUDBLOOD whose mere existence is a crime in the eyes of the Death Eaters."

A furious Harry now looked Bill in the eyes. "Tell me this, Bill. You are married to a Quarter-Veela. To the Death Eaters that means she's an inferior being. Would you ever abandon Fleur because you're worried about your family?"

Bill bowed his head. "I see what you mean, Harry."

Harry turned back to the bed, to Hermione.

"Dumbledore has given us a mission. You know that, Bill, you're in the Order. I can't tell you about it, but I can say this: There's no room for excuses. I will gladly take any help from you, as long as you realise this is a matter of life or death. Dobby was willing to literally give his life. Hermione was willing to make herself an orphan. I'm not going to make excuses for somebody who gave up. Ron knew why we were on this mission, he knows what will happen if I fail."

After a brief pause, Harry continued: "Actually, given his jealous behaviour, I don't want Ron to come back. You've surely noticed, even if you haven't just heard the conversation I had with Mr. Olivander. Yes, I love Hermione and she loves me. So in a way, Ron was right: She did choose me over him. And I've chosen her over him. You don't need to be clairvoyant to know how Ron will react when he finds out. But I have no time for that. I am The-Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, the Saviour of the Wizarding World, and everyone expects that I will defeat Tom Riddle again. Well, I AM going to fight. But not for the Wizarding World. Not even for myself. I'm going to fight on for the people I love."

Carefully he rolled up one sleeve of Hermione's nightshirt, revealing the hideous "Mudblood" scar.

" _THIS is why I'm still fighting!"_


	8. Chapter 7: Sheer dumb luck

**Chapter 7: Sheer dumb luck**

 _"Hermione, love, when has any of our plans ever actually worked? We plan, we get there, all hell breaks loose!"_

Indeed, so far it seemed that all the progress they had made was not because of all the plans they made, but because of sheer dumb luck. And to Harry it seemed that "sheer dumb luck" was the winning factor in all his adventures ever since defeating that troll in First Year.

Only through sheer dumb luck they had found out that Bellatrix Lestrange was hiding a Horcrux in her vault at Gringotts. Only through sheer dumb luck they were able to escape from Malfoy Manor. And only through sheer dumb luck they were able to make a plan to break into Gringotts. The plan to make Hermione appear like Bellatrix with the aid of Polyjuice Potion would never had worked if they hadn't some hairs sticking to Hermione's clothes from when Bellatrix had tortured her. Harry and Luna stayed close beside her under the Invisibility Cloak. And despite Griphook betraying them, resulting in the loss of the Sword of Gryffindor, they were able to take the Horcrux, the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff from the vault.  
And only through sheer dumb luck they had been able to escape from Gringotts by jumping on the back of an escaping dragon. Despite all the fear and adrenaline, Harry felt a warmth inside him as Hermione, who still hadn't overcome her fear for flying, held on to him for dear life.

After a trip on the dragon's back which felt like it lasted for hours, although it could just as well have been merely ten minutes, the dragon finally lowered its altitude and headed for a small lake.

"Let's jump into the lake before the dragon notices we're on its back." Both girls agreed with Harry's plan, although Hermione's voice sounded a little faint.

"Don't worry, love, I'm with you. We'll do this together."

And indeed, when Harry gave the signal to jump, he and Hermione jumped with their arms around each other.

As they reached the shore, Harry casted the standard protective spells. It was then that "sheer dumb luck" struck again. As pain rushed through his scar, he saw that Riddle had found out about them breaking into Gringotts and stealing the Cup. Riddle's thoughts turned to Hogwarts... and Harry knew enough. However, Riddle decided to check the Gaunt shack first, and take Nagini with him. Riddle didn't want to be separated from the snake anymore. That... was interesting!

"He knows! Riddle knows that we're searching for his Horcruxes. And clearly his snake is a Horcrux. And the other Horcrux that's still left must be at Hogwarts. So that's where I'm going."

Despite Hermione's protests, Harry was determined to go in and end this once and for all. Luckily Luna had a solution: "We can take the secret path from Abe's house."

Abe turned out to be Aberforth Dumbledore, Albus' brother. Aberforth was rather skeptical, which angered Harry. "Go home, boy, then you will live longer."

Harry was furious. "It may be easy for you to give up. Well, I don't have that luxury. You think I will live longer. Oh sure, I can go home, and perhaps live another day, another week, another month if I'm very lucky. Heck, I've escaped death quite a few times already. But if I give up, that won't make Voldemort give up on me. They call me the Chosen One, but I'm not the one who chose for it. Honestly, I wish I could run away from it. But I'm not choosing for a life living in hiding, fearing an enemy may hide behind every tree."

"And neither," Harry continued while putting his arms around Hermione and Luna, "am I going to sit down doing nothing while Riddle plans to kill the people I care for. And if you now advice me to be a coward, please explain to me why you saved me from Malfoy's Manor?" Harry pointed to the Mirror hanging on the wall.

And then he pointed to the painting on the wall. "That's your sister, Ariana, right? Sir, you have my sympathies for your loss. You may think I'm just a servant doing what your brother told me to do. But then you're wrong. For the biggest part of my life I've been manipulated because of some stupid prophecy. But I want to break those chains once and for all. I'm not fighting for Albus Dumbledore. I'm fighting to become the owner of my own life!"

Eventually Aberforth had given in. He had sent Ariana away and when she returned, Neville had come through the secret passage. Neville was visibly happy to see that the trio was safe, especially Luna. He took them through the secret passage into Hogwarts, where they were enthousiastically greeted by the DA. (Harry now wished they had given it a different name.)

Everyone was there, from Seamus to the Patil sisters, and to Harry's surprise, even his former crush Cho Chang was there. Although Harry knew that his heart belonged to Hermione, he felt a bit guilty towards Cho. He should have been more understanding about Cho mourning Cedric's death. But he had only truly understood how she must have felt when he himself had lost Sirius, and then it was already too late.

The cheerful moment was soon interrupted when Ginny rushed in. She came to warn that Snape had heard Harry was signalled in Hogsmeade. And so Harry decided to confront Dumbledore's murderer with his deed. As Snape drew his wand at Harry, Professor McGonagall didn't need any more proof that Harry's accusation was true. Snape wasn't willing to fight the fury of Professor McGonagall and the greasy bat fled like the coward he was.

But as the Death Eaters found out Harry was at Hogwarts, Riddle soon knew about this too. He gave an ultimatum: Surrender Harry, or the school will be attacked. Naturally, Pansy Parkinson wanted everyone to seize Harry, which resulted in all Slytherins being locked up in the dungeons. Harry knew this was unfair, not every Slytherin was evil, but he also knew there was too little time to have a discussion over this treatment.

Harry quickly turned to the DA. "Guys, ladies, I need your help. I need something that will help us destroy Tom Riddle... Voldemort", he added, as most students didn't know Tom Riddle and Voldemort were the same person.

"Riddle has created magical artifacts to keep himself alive. Hermione and I have been searching for them. One of those artifacts was Slytherin's locket. We've destroyed that one already. We also have Hufflepuff's cup. And as it's unlikely that Riddle, being a Slytherin, would use something from Gryffindor, he probably took something from Ravenclaw. That's why I'm asking the Ravenclaws in the DA to help me in this search."

And immediately after telling this, Harry felt incredibly stupid. Luna was with him ever since their escape from Malfoy Manor, and she's a Ravenclaw. Why didn't he ask this to her sooner? _Well, this is why the Hat didn't sort ME in Ravenclaw, I guess!_

Luna had indeed the answer: "That has to be Ravenclaw's diadem, then." Cho wasn't sure, though: "But nobody has seen the diadem for centuries!"

Of course, Hermione had the solution: "The Grey Lady will probably know." Everyone looked at her in surprise. "Well, don't you pay attention to the portraits? Near the library is a portrait of Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of Rowena. She is the Grey Lady." If the DA wasn't around, Harry would have kissed Hermione a hundred times. _This is why I love her, her intelligence keeps saving the day over and over again._

"Well, at least we can try to talk about the diadem with the Grey Lady," said Cho. "I can lead you into Ravenclaw Tower..."

"No," interrupted Ginny, "Luna will go, won't you, Luna?"

This behaviour annoyed Harry. Clearly Ginny still thought he would come back to her and acted jealous to any potential rivals, although she was blind to the bond between him and Hermione. Before Luna could answer, Harry said: "Well, let Cho AND Luna go to Ravenclaw Tower. After all, two Ravenclaws are better than one."

"But...," Ginny started, before interrupted again by Harry. "Ginny," Harry said with a cold calmness, "can you tell me what's going on at the moment?"

Ginny didn't understand what he meant. "I'll tell you what's going on. We're at WAR! The school is under siege and Voldemort will soon attack. This is no silly game. If we waste too much time, we can all be dead at the end of the day. The only way to stop this is to destroy Voldemort. And for that, I'm willing to accept help from everyone who wants to help. So, either you help me or leave. I have no time for petty jealousy!"

Turning his back on Ginny, he gave orders to the DA: "Cho, Luna, find out all you can about Ravenclaw's diadem. Neville, you lead the DA in my absence. Help the teachers in defending Hogwarts."

"But what are you going to do?", asked Neville. Harry answered: "To stop Riddle, we need something to destroy these artifacts that keeps him alive. For that, I'm going with Hermione to the Chamber of Secrets. As I'm the only one who can speak Parseltongue, I'm the only one who can open the Chamber." He showed the Marauder's Map and turned to Cho and Luna. "Once we're done in the Chamber, we're coming to you. Don't worry, we can always find you."

As everyone went on their way, Harry summoned a broom, so they could fly down into the tunnel that led to the Chamber of Secrets and go back up afterwards. When everyone has gone, Hermione gave Harry a kiss on the cheek. "I'm really proud of you, Harry."

In surprise, Harry answered: "Thank you, love, but what did I do?" Hermione answered: "Well, to be honest I was worried about your anger sometimes. I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to trust anyone, not after...Ron's betrayal. And Dumbledore... Well, anyway, I'm glad you are still able to trust, and that you're willing to accept help. Especially from Cho. Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to act like Ginny, but it did surprise me." Harry smiled at his girlfriend. "Hermione, at Dumbledore's advice I've only trusted you and Ron. And maybe in some way that was wise, as information has a smaller chance to fall in the wrong hands when less people know about it. But just now I realised that I might have known sooner about Ravenclaw's diadem if I had asked Luna, a Ravenclaw, about it. And as neither of us are Ravenclaws, we need the help of Ravenclaws to find the diadem. If I had decided to follow Dumbledore's advice and not trust the Ravenclaws with this information, we would have to search for the diadem by ourselves and probably never find it unless by sheer dumb luck.  
But as I said, I'm willing to accept any help. The alternative is just too gruesome. We're going to finish Riddle, no matter what needs to be done for that goal." He kissed Hermione back. "For Hogwarts, for equality among wizards and magical creatures, for _us!_ "

Harry climbed upon his broom and Hermione climbed behind him, holding him tight for dear life. Feeling the warmth of Hermione's body against him, Harry thought that when the war was over, he would help Hermione to overcome her fear of flying. They flew to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was hidden. They flew downwards, deep below Hogwarts, where Harry used his Parseltongue skill to open the door. Inside, he carefully took a fang from the Basilisk. Hermione took Hufflepuff's Cup from her handbag, but after she put it down on the floor, Harry took her hand. "Let's do this one together."

They both held one hand around the fang, while their other hands held on to each other. They took a deep breath, and then they stabbed the cup with the fang, destroying the Horcrux inside. The shockwave of the magic made the water in the Chamber rise up and crash down upon Harry and Hermione. Totally soaked, they felt a sort of exhilaration knowing that they'd come one step closer to destroying Tom Riddle for good. They fell in each other's arms and started to kiss passionately, while speaking out words of love for each other. Harry couldn't help thinking that this too was the result of "sheer dumb luck". He thought about the day he and Hermione had become friends, the day he saved her from the troll. A crucial day, as without Hermione he would probably have been killed many times before. So, sheer dumb luck has saved his life.

But one little victory didn't end the war yet. Suddenly Harry was struck with pain coming from his scar. Tom Riddle had also noticed another Horcrux was destroyed. And as he had the Elder Wand, he channeled all his rage through the wand and his spell destroyed the protective dome around Hogwarts. The Battle of Hogwarts had now truly begun.

* * *

 **A/N: Ugh, this chapter was hell to make. Unlike August, September was a busy month for me. Also, I'm not too happy with this chapter, as I feel this chapter didn't need too many changes other than Harry going into the CoS (I mean, come on, how can Ron open the Chamber when he's not a Parseltongue? It's like saying I should be able to speak fluently Czech by now because I visit my best friend in Prague every year.), and handling Ginny's jealousy. Maybe, as we're still seeing "memories", the fragmentaric approach will work, but I don't think this is the best chapter of the story.**


	9. Chapter 8: I'll go with you!

**Chapter 8: "I'll go with you."**

 _"Harry...is everything alright? Harry?_ Harry could hear Hermione's voice breaking through as the final memories started to fade...

Although the fighting was bitter and heavy, Harry and Hermione weren't aware of most of the chaos while destroying the Horcrux that was Hufflepuff's Cup and searching for Ravenclaw's Diadem. Harry felt anger towards the cowards that called themselves Death Eaters who had no problem with murdering children. He also felt guilty that he wasn't fighting with his fellow students, but he knew too well that if he didn't do what he had to do, all would be for nothing.

Harry and Hermione soon met with Cho and Luna. Luna's kindness had convinced Helena Ravenclaw to reveal the location of the Diadem's hiding place:

 _"It's here, in the castle, in the place where everything is hidden. If you have to ask, you'll never know. If you know, you only need to ask."_

"The Room of Requirement!", Harry and Hermione shouted out simultaneously. Indeed, given that one had to be very specific when asking for the appearance of the room, this made it the perfect hiding place for anything. As long as no one asked about the Diadem (and why would they ask, as everyone thought it had been lost for centuries?), no one would ever find it.

But as the quartet rushed to the Room of Requirement, they had to go through parts of the castle where the fighting was at its heaviest. In the chaos they lost sight of Cho, but worst of all was the encounter with Fenrir Greyback who was holding a girl who was either unconscious... or dead!

"NO!", Hermione screamed out. With a deafening blast, a beam appeared from her wand, striking Greyback in the chest and throwing him backwards.  
Hermione rushed to Greyback's victim, and was horrified to see it was Lavender Brown.

"NO! No... Lavender, please don't die! Please... I've never apologised to you. I'm so sorry... I never should have fought with you over Ron."

Harry knelt down and put his arms around Hermione, who herself had put her arms around Lavender's limp body. Hermione couldn't stop crying. "I was such a fool. I only thought about my own pain, and so I was blind to the pain you must have felt when you found out Ron was only using you to make me jealous. Please, Lavender, don't die!"

Suddenly, Hermione felt her hand being squeezed. A weak voice spoke out: "I...forgive you, Hermione!" Hermione looked down and saw Lavender smiling at her despite her wounds. "At least you also found out there are better men than Ron. You and Harry... please, finish the Dark Lord for all of us." A relieved Hermione carefully gave Lavender a hug. "We will, I promise you!"

Harry quickly called out to the first familiar face he saw. "Dean! Bring Lavender to the Hospital Wing!" He gave Hermione's shoulder a squeeze. "Let's go, love. Let's bring that bastard Riddle down as fast as we can!"

But knowing where to find a Horcrux didn't mean getting it would be easy. The Room was still huge and filled with junk. But somehow Harry could "feel" the presence of the Horcrux.  
But when they had finally found the Diadem, they were ambushed by Draco and his cronies. Unfortunately for him Crabbe pushed the already stressed Harry too far when he dared to attack Hermione. "NOBODY attacks my girlfriend and gets away with it, you effing twits!", he cried out while firing multiple curses at the Slytherins, who were wise enough to run away, while Harry kept chasing after them. Bt unfortunately, when Goyle got over the shock, he decided to set the room on fire. Harry immediately turned around and shouted out to the girls: "RUN!"

To make matters worse, Goyle was stupid enough to make Fiendfyre. This fire couldn't be extinguished by water, normal or magical, and was difficult to control, as Goyle soon would find out himself as the flames burned him alive.  
As Harry, Hermione and Luna made for the door, Draco and Crabbe were trying hard to escape the flames.  
"Harry, we can't leave them behind to die!", Luna cried out. Luckily for the Slytherins, there was still something of his "saving-people-thing" inside Harry, and as there were also a few brooms in the Room, Harry and the girls were able to save the two surviving Snakes. Quickly they flew outside the Room, but during the flight, the Diadem fell down.  
"Don't worry about it, Harry!", Hermione cried out above the roar of the flames. "Fiendfyre destroys everything, even Horcruxes!"  
"What?", Harry answered. "Why didn't you tell that before?"  
"Isn't that obvious, Harry? Don't you see how dangerous Fiendfyre is? THAT's why I never mentioned it before!" Harry couldn't possibly disagree with that reasoning.

Once outside, Harry quickly closed the door. The sudden pain he felt coming from his scar told him that the Horcrux was indeed destroyed, and quickly wished for a different appearance for the Room of Requirement. As a result, the Fiendfyre also disappeared. Harry was glad this trick worked, otherwise the Fiendfyre would undoubtly have destroyed Hogwarts entirely.

But the destruction of yet another Horcrux didn't mean the fight was over yet. Suddenly the voice of Riddle could be heard all over Hogwarts.

" _You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste._

 _Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured._

 _I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than_ _face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."_

Harry was bewildered. Riddle gave them an armistice, even for merely an hour? That didn't make any sense! Just like it didn't make any sense that his Death Eaters attacked last year, killed Dumbledore and did NOT take him to their master as a prisoner. An hour was short, but still it was as if Riddle was giving Harry another chance to defeat him.

Harry, Hermione and Luna rushed to the great hall. On their way, they met Neville, whose face was covered with bruises, but nothing really bad. "Harry! Hermione!", he cried out, but for a moment he was stunned when he saw Luna. Then, in a moment of Gryffindor courage, he embraced Luna. "I love you, Luna. You're the kindest and most unique girl I've ever met. I... I just wanted you to know that in case I won't get the chance to tell you after this."  
Luna answered with a kiss on Neville's cheek. "Don't worry, Neville. We're going to end this, and then you will be able to tell me as many times as you want. I love you too."

Harry and Hermione decided to let Neville and Luna enjoy this moment of togetherness and walked on to the Great Hall. It was a horrifying sight to see all the wounded children, but seeing the dead was even worse. Tonks and Lupin were lying side by side, having died while holding each other's hand. Harry was overcome with grief. Not only because now the last Marauder had died, but also because his godson Teddy would have to grow up as an orphan.

But the horrors didn't end with Tonks and Lupin. In the chaos of death and mourning he recognised the heartbroken voice of Mrs. Weasley. Harry and Hermione rushed to the Weasleys and discovered the corpses of Ginny... and Ron!

"Ron! Why was Ron here?"

Bill took Harry and Hermione aside and explained everything. "As Ginny is... was still a Hogwarts student, our parents naturally wanted to fight. I hadn't told Ron that you didn't want him to return, and he still wanted to make up for abandoning you, yet he still felt so ashamed that he tried his best to make sure you didn't see him. We even had the whole family reunited again, as Percy resigned from the Ministry after finding out they fought with Voldemort against children. He even Stunned Thicknesse. But a counter attack from the Death Eaters blew up one of the corridors. Ron saved Fred and Percy by pushing them out of the way, but the wall collapsed and buried him. When we had removed the rubble, we found Ron had died."

Despite their acrimonious split, both Harry and Hermione felt tears in their eyes. Harry could see the irony of the situation. Ron had been jealous of Harry's fame, Ron had abandoned the mission, and yet he had died as a hero.

"And... what about Ginny?"

Bill sighed. "I think Ginny has been pushed over the edge. Mom had forbidden her to fight and ordered her to stay in a "safe" place, while no place is safe during a battle. Ginny had become angry, shouted to Mom that she was taking all this seriously and was going to fight for her life instead of being a coward and ran off. By the time we found her she was lying on the ground as Bellatrix Lestrange was mutilating her corpse. In retaliation, Mom literally blew that bitch up."

Harry and Hermione shivered. Hermione still carried the scars of Bellatrix' torture and certainly didn't want to imagine what that monster had done to Ginny in her final moments. She hadn't deserved such a horrible end.

Quickly Harry's horror turned into rage. "Enough! We're going to end that bastard once and for all!"

A quick focus on the connection between him and Riddle gave Harry the information he needed. And again Harry was bewildered by the lack of logic that most wizards seemed to possess. "He's inside the Shrieking Shack!" And his snake was with him. Really, did Riddle WANT to be defeated? The Shrieking Shack was easy to reach through the secret corridor under the Whomping Willow. Harry only needed to go there under his Invisibility Cloak. If sheer dumb luck stayed on Harry's side, he could end Riddle right now!

But Fate had yet another trick up its sleeve. As Harry and Hermione arrived inside the Shrieking Shack, they came just in time to overhear a conversation between Riddle and Snape. Riddle knew for sure that by the end of the armistice, Harry would come to him. But as Riddle had failed to kill Harry with his own wand due to the twin core, and had failed to kill him with Lucius' wand as well, Riddle thought he needed to be the true master of the Elder Wand. And as Dumbledore was the previous owner of the Elder Wand, Riddle needed to kill the man who killed Dumbledore so the Elder Wand would truly be his. A terrible scream was heard when Nagini's fangs pierced Snape's neck. "I regret it", Riddle said, but there was no remorse to be heard in his cold voice.

As Riddle and his snake disappeared, Harry took off his Invisibility Cloak and looked down on the man he hated the second most after Riddle. Why he then did what he did, he'd never understand. Perhaps there was a sort of noble sense that told him that a dying man, even one as despicable as Snape, had the right to have his last wish fulfilled. A silvery substance was leaking from Snape's body while Snape begged Harry to take it. Hermione quickly had a flask ready to store the memory.

The duo rushed back to Hogwarts. Hermione somehow had the feeling that Snape's memory was only meant for Harry to see. So she decided to go to the Hospital Wing to meet with their friends, hoping they could give them a little bit of comfort.

Harry hoped the memory would have some information about Riddle, even though he had no idea what more help he'd need. They've destroyed all inanimate Horcruxes, now only Riddle and his snake were left. But nothing could have prepared him for the shock this memory would give him.

Snape was friends with _his mother!_ In fact, she was his first friend and he'd fallen in love with her! Then he also saw aunt Petunia, getting hurt by a branch. Snape had made it fall down, and that was the start of the rift between the two sisters. To Snape it hadn't mattered, as Petunia was merely a Muggle.

That his father and Snape hated each other was nothing new. That the dislike already started from day one was news to Harry. He couldn't really blame his father for wondering why anyone would want to be in Slytherin. Everyone he met before arriving at Hogwarts, like Ron and Hagrid, also had told him all evil wizards had gone to Slytherin. But Snape also showed his arrogance by stating that Gryffindor was for the brawny instead of the brainy.

Scenes kept changing. He saw his mother finally abandoning Snape when it was clear he truly wanted to be a Death Eater. He saw Snape overhearing the prophecy and warning his master. He saw Snape begging Dumbledore to save Lily, as Riddle had marked Harry. Dumbledore was disgusted that Snape only cared for Lily and couldn't care less if her husband and child would die. So Snape reluctantly gave in.

Harry felt frustrated. Was this memory only going to show him everything he already knew? He knew all too well what had happened. Pettigrew betrayed his parents, Riddle killed them and his mother's sacrifice had saved him from Riddle's Avada Kedavra.

But then he found out that Snape was a double agent, spying on Riddle for Dumbledore. Even though he still bilndly hated Harry. "Lazy and arrogant like his father", even though Dumbledore pointed out nearly everyone else was very positive about Harry. But then came the biggest shock of all:

 _"If there comes a time when Lord Voldemort stops sending that snake forth to do his bidding,_

 _but keeps it safe beside him under magical protection, then, I think, it will be safe to tell Harry."_

" _Tell him what?"_

 _Dumbledore took a deep breath and closed his eyes._

" _Tell him that on the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, when Lily cast her own life between them as a shield, the Killing Curse rebounded upon Lord Voldemort, and a fragment of Voldemort's soul was blasted apart from the whole, and latched itself onto the only living soul left in that collapsed building. Part of Lord Voldemort lives inside Harry, and it is that which gives him the power of speech with snakes, and a connection with Lord Voldemort's mind that he has never understood. And while that fragment of soul, unmissed by Voldemort, remains attached to and protected by Harry, Lord Voldemort cannot die."_

 _Harry seemed to be watching the two men from one end of a long tunnel, they were so far away from him, their voices echoing strangely in his ears._

" _So the boy…the boy must die?" asked Snape quite calmly._

" _And Voldemort himself must do it, Severus. That is essential."_

 _Another long silence. Then Snape said, "I thought…all those years…that we were protecting him for her. For Lily."_

" _We have protected him because it has been essential to teach him, to raise him, to let him try his strength," said Dumbledore, his eyes still tight shut. "Meanwhile, the connection between them grows ever stronger, a parasitic growth. Sometimes I have thought he suspects it himself. If I know him, he will have arranged matters so that when he does set out to meet his death, it will truly mean the end of Voldemort."_

 _Dumbledore opened his eyes. Snape looked horrified._

" _You have kept him alive so that he can die at the right moment?"_

" _Don't be shocked, Severus. How many men and women have you watched die?"_

" _Lately, only those whom I could not save," said Snape. He stood up. "You have used me."_

" _Meaning?"_

" _I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potter's son safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter – "_

" _But this is touching, Severus," said Dumbledore seriously. "Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?"_

" _For_ _ **him**_ _?" shouted Snape._ _ **" Expecto Patronum!"**_

Harry saw a silver doe burst from the tip of Snape's wand. So it was him who helped him find the Sword of Gryffindor. But Harry had no illusions about Snape's feelings. Snape didn't care for Harry, all he cared about was revenge for Lily's murder. Harry knew what Snape must have known too: Harry's death would not give the guarantee that Riddle WOULD die as well, only that he now COULD die as the Horcrux inside Harry would be gone.

 _Harry? Please say something!_

Finally, Harry came back to the present, standing before his beloved Hermione. The rush of memories of their love had emphasised the cruelty of Harry's fate.

"Hermione. For how long have I been away? How much time do we have left?"

"There must be about 15 minutes left to go, but..."

"I must go to the Forbidden Forest now."

"What? Harry, no! You are not going to surrender!"

"I must, Hermione! There's a reason I can hear the Horcruxes. I think you've figured it out too..."

And Hermione, being the Brightest Witch of her Age, figured it out quickly. In tears, she spoke the words Harry was afraid she would say:

 ** _"I'll go with you!"_**

"No, Hermione! Kill the Snake! Kill the Snake and then it will be just him."

But Hermione held on to her love. "What do I care about Riddle and his stupid snake?! Don't you understand, Harry? For all those years I've done everything to keep you alive, and now it turns out to be for nothing. Even if we win, the victory will mean nothing because you will be gone."

 _I know, Hermione. I know you. That's why I couldn't tell you._ Harry felt there was only one way to try and convince Hermione to live. It was very desperate, and in a way Harry felt ashamed that he would be using Hermione's feelings in this way, but then again he too would do everything that was not illegal to keep Hermione alive.

"Hermione, please. You have to stay alive... for Teddy. Please. This boy is half-Animagus, half-werewolf. He will face as much hate as you did thanks to your Muggleborn status, and he has lost his parents and soon his godfather. Please, don't let him lose his aunty Hermione too."

"Aunty Hermione?"

Harry nodded with his eyes full of tears. "I'm his godfather. I don't know who Tonks and Remus had chosen as his godmother, but you'd be his "aunty" as the partner of his godfather. Please, don't take that away from him too."

Bursting in tears, Hermione hugged her love so tightly, pouring all her love into it, as it would probably be the last time she'd be holding him in her arms.

"Please, Hermione, promise me." Hermione looked Harry in his green eyes. "I promise you, I won't follow you into death tonight." With relief, Harry let Hermione go.

 _"Accio Firebolt!"_ A broom flew towards Harry, as he wasn't sure he had enough time to walk to the Forbidden Forest. And there was one last thing left to do.

At the entrance to the Forbidden Forest he took out the Golden Snitch. "I'm ready to die", he said and kissed the Snitch. It indeed opened and revealed the Resurrection Stone. Thanks to the Stone, Harry was able to say goodbye to his fallen family and friends before dying: His parents, Sirius, Remus, Tonks... All of them were with him, until the end.

As Harry, under his Invisibility Cloak, moved into the Forbidden Forest, he noticed Dolohov and Yaxley. For a moment, Harry felt anger. If only he had finished those two off in London, then Remus and Tonks would still have been alive. But the clock cannot be turned back.

Yaxley check his watch: "Time's nearly up. Potter's had his hour. He's not coming."

Dolohov answered: "Better go back. Find out what the plan is now."

Harry softly let out a bitter laugh. While he remained hidden under his Invisibility Cloak, the Death Eaters would show him the way to Riddle, and not be tempted to kill him themselves.

As Harry followed Dolohov and Yaxley, he noticed they were going to the place where Aragog once had lived. In the middle of a circle, a fire was burning, and it was there that Riddle and his most loyal Death Eaters were waiting.

"No sign of him, my Lord", said Dolohov. While Riddle's expression didn't change, there seemed some sort of surprise in his voice. "I thought he would come. I expected him to come. I was, it seems... mistaken."

"You weren't", said Harry in a loud voice as he removed the Invisibility Cloak

"Well, well", Riddle spoke softly. "Harry Potter. The-Boy-Who-Lived has come to die."

Harry spat at Riddle's feet. "Yes, I've come to die so my friends may live. Something you'd never even think about."

Riddle laughed mockingly. "Ah, your friends. Well, think of your friends then when you will die alone!"

 _"Harry will not die alone!",_ a voice suddenly cried out. Harry turned around again, and was shocked to see...Hermione!

"Hermione, no!". Harry was shocked. Hermione would break her promise? "No, not Hermione!"

Riddle just laughed. "What a nice surprise. Not only Harry Potter has come to die, but we also have his pet Mudblood now. Truly, this will be a day to remember!"

Harry screamed out again: "NOT HERMIONE!"

But Hermione took Harry's hand and whispered to him: "Harry! Calm down! We are not going to die! But Riddle will! Please, trust in me!" Somehow, this calmed Harry down. If he can't trust Hermione, who could he trust? But why was she here, when she had promised to not follow him into death.

Harry was also nervous. "Hermione, are you absolutely sure you know what you're doing."

Hermione squeezed Harry's hand gently. "Absolutely. Think about what I said in our first year: A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic."

With a cold smile, Riddle turned to Dolohov. "Dolohov, now finish what you should have done in the Department of Mysteries. Kill this Mudblood."

But Harry had one last thing to say, and cried out: "WAIT!"

As Riddle turned to Harry, he said: "During our duel at the graveyard, you said that manners were important. If you still think so, at least grant our last wish!"

"And what is this last wish?". Riddle answered coldly. Hermione interrupted Harry: "Please let us die together. Shoot the Death Spell simultaneously so that neither of us will have to be alone for even one second!"

Riddle laughed. "Ah, the folly of love. But fine, if that's your last wish, then I will gladly fulfill it. In the end it doesn't matter to me how you die, as long as you die."

Then a loud scream was heard from above: "BEAUXBATONS IS COMING! BEAUXBATONS IS COMING!"

Riddle let out a curse. "So Hogwarts is getting reinforcements? Well, they're too late. Potter and his Mudblood will die now! Dolohov! Kill her!"

Harry and Hermione were standing back to back, holding hands, as they both saw a beam of green light approach them before everything faded to black...


	10. Chapter 9: Love conquers all

**Chapter 9: Love conquers all**

Lying on his back, Harry listened to the silence. At first Harry thought he was all alone in this place, wherever this place was. Until he noticed that there was something in his hand. Or rather, someone was holding his hand.

As he opened his eyes, he noticed there was a person lying beside him. A naked girl holding his hand. Harry suddenly became aware that he was naked himself. However, their bodies were without any flaws or scars. Harry noticed that he wasn't wearing his glasses, and the scars caused by Umbridge's Blood Quill had disappeared. Harry could of course not see his own face, but he thought that his famous lightningbolt scar must have disappeared as well. And then he looked at the arm of the girl lying beside him. The scar that spelled out the hated word "Mudblood" was nowhere to be seen.

 _"Hermione!"_ As Harry called out her name, Hermione opened up her eyes.

"Harry...", she started, but then both of them were overcome by their emotions and they both took each other in a warm embrace. Any possible embarrasment caused by their nakedness was soon swept away. Apparently their love was so strong that even Death didn't dare to separate them.

Still, Harry felt sadness because Hermione had broken her promise. "Hermione, why did you do this? You promised that you wouldn't follow me into death!"

Hermione looked her love into the eyes and answered: "But we're not dead, Harry! I told you, we weren't going to die. Riddle would die.  
Although I must admit, I took a great risk. But believe me, Harry, even if we are in a strange place, we're not dead. Can't you feel it?" Hermione guided Harry's hand to her body, just below her breast. Harry was surprised to feel her heartbeat. So Hermione was right, they weren't dead.

"But...how? I mean, I have survived the Killing Curse before, but how could you survive it too?"  
Hermione smiled. "I've just survived the Killing Curse in the same way as you did. I was protected." Harry was even more confused now. "Protected? How?"  
Hermione answered by kissing Harry. "Protected by Love of course, silly sweet boy. YOUR love." Harry still didn't understand. "Hermione, I love you with my whole heart, but if my love protected you, then why did it not protect all our friends who were killed during the battle?"

With a sad expression on her face, Hermione answered: "Sadly, that had all to do with their circumstances. But let me explain..."

"Remember our adventure with the Philosopher's Stone? The last test before reaching the room where you fought Quirrel and Voldemort was all about logic. I already said then that many great wizards don't have any logic. This was proven again today, as Voldemort was making the same mistake he made when he tried to kill you the first time. Why wasn't he able to kill you when you were a baby?"  
Harry was surprised that Hermione would ask something that was common knowledge: "Because my mother protected me against him and her Love made the Killing Curse rebound. But what has that got to do with this?"  
Hermione shook her head and continued: "You're forgetting the most important part, Harry. Voldemort had given your mother a CHOICE. She could get out of the way and save herself. But she still chose to protect you, and that's how the protective magic was activated.

And today, Voldemort gave YOU the same choice with his armistice: Surrender or he will continue the attack. And you decided to surrender so everyone at Hogwarts would be spared. Even when I appeared, you shouted out: "Not Hermione!", just like your mother shouted out: "Not Harry!". It's because you sacrificed yourself for me, just like your mother sacrificed herself for you, that I was protected from the Killing Curse and thus I couldn't die."

Harry hugged Hermione a little tighter. "But darling, if you're not dead, then why are you here with me. And if you're not dead, then does that mean I'm not dead either. And... where are we?"

Hermione smiled at Harry: "No, you're not dead, Harry. And where we are... well, even the Magical World has mysteries that will perhaps never be solved, just like the Muggle World has. What are near-death experiences? Are people who are in a coma having dreams? Who can really know and understand everything? But doesn't this place look familiar?"

Harry looked around and answered: "This looks like King's Cross Station." "Exactly," Hermione answered back. "So, my theory is that we're in some sort of 'gateway'. The border between life and death. Although we're not dead, our bodies in the real world were struck by powerful magic. That must have drained a lot of our energy. So maybe this is our 'near-death experience'. And we're naked because nobody is born with clothes on. But maybe, as some people want to be buried in their favourite clothes, we could have clothes if we wished for it. Just like anyone can wish for whatever they want in their dreams.  
And because we were holding hands when we were both struck, we've ended up in the same place. We're at a station, and we have a choice: Step outside the station and return to life, or take a train... onwards to the next adventure." And she added: "And if I'd leave the station, then I haven't broken my promise to you to not follow you into death."

Harry smiled at Hermione. "Surely you're not thinking that I'm going to take a train from here without you? Of course I will come back to life together with you. After all, we still have some unfinished business with Riddle. But before we go, I want to know why I've ended up here when I should have been dead. How did you know I wouldn't die?"

"That," Hermione answered, "is a bit more difficult to explain." She stood up and said: "Let's have a walk while I tell you what I believe must have happened." As they walked with an arm around each other, without any discomfort over their nakedness, Hermione told about what she had been doing after Harry had left to surrender to Riddle.

"After you had gone, I was still thinking about how I could possibly save you. First of all, I saw Neville and Luna - who are a great couple, by the way. Neville is like the Flora to Luna's Fauna. But anyway...  
Seeing Luna reminded me of Mr. Lovegood's remark about me being close-minded. So maybe to find a way to save you, I had to think from a different perspective. And then I was thinking why, during our search for Horcruxes, we had received clues about the Deathly Hallows? Undoubtly Riddle would be using the Elder Wand to kill you. We saw him killing Snape to become the real master, as he thought Snape was the true owner of the Elder Wand after killing Dumbledore."  
Harry nodded. "Yes, I was there when Snape killed Dumbledore. So naturally the Elder Wand's allegiance switched to Snape?" "Oh, did it really?", Hermione answered. "Was Dumbledore the master of the Elder Wand when he died?"

Harry thought for a moment, and then he remembered: "No, he wasn't! Dumbledore allowed Draco to defeat him before Snape killed him."  
"Exactly, Harry! So Snape never was the Master of the Elder Wand. So killing Snape didn't make Riddle the Master of the Elder Wand either."

"But then, does that mean Draco is the true Master of the Elder Wand?" Hermione shook her head. "He was for a while, even though he was never aware of this. But then he himself was defeated by a stronger wizard." Hermione stopped walking and put both her arms around Harry. "The true Master of the Elder Wand... is you, Harry! You became the Master of the Elder Wand when you disarmed Draco before we escaped from Malfoy Manor."

To say Harry was shocked was an understatement. "But, that doesn't make sense! Draco may have been the Master of the Elder Wand, but all that time the wand was lying inside Dumbledore's grave until Riddle took it. How could I have become the Master of the Elder Wand if I couldn't have taken it from Draco?"  
Hermione laughed. "Harry, now you too are just following logic instead of thinking outside the box. To become Master of the Elder Wand, you just have to defeat its owner. The wand itself doesn't need to be involved. Remember the story of the Three Brothers. The oldest brother even lost the wand without a fight. A thief stole it from him while he was drunk and asleep, and then the thief became the owner of the wand by slitting the brother's throat. So, the wand switched allegiance even without magic being involved.  
Believe me, you _are_ the true Master of the Elder Wand. And that's why Riddle couldn't kill you. Although the wand can change allegiance, it does not allow anyone to use itself against its true master. But when the Killing Curse struck you, the Elder Wand allowed it to kill that one part in your body that is not a part of yourself."  
Harry understood what Hermione meant: "The Horcrux inside me. It has been destroyed."

As to underline those words, they heard a pitiful sound coming from under a bench. They both looked, and discovered a hideous creature. Almost child-like in appearance, and its colour made it look like it was skinned alive, but they both recognised the features of its face. No doubt it was the piece of Riddle's soul that was destroyed when the Killing Curse destroyed the Horcrux inside Harry.

Harry took Hermione in a tight embrace. "Hermione, love, you are so brilliant that calling you the Brightest Witch of your Age is almost an understatement. But if you knew that the Elder Wand couldn't kill me, why did you come to "die" together with me?"  
"Harry, understand that only when you were struck with the Elder Wand, you couldn't die. Perhaps that's why Dumbledore told Snape that it was important that Riddle himself would have to kill you. If any other Death Eater had the idea to kill you when Riddle failed, then you'd be lost. Therefore I decided to cause a distraction. And of course I wasn't there alone."

Harry then remembered one of the last moments before they were struck by the Killing Curse: " _BEAUXBATONS IS COMING! BEAUXBATONS IS COMING!"_

"Indeed, Harry. Fleur told me that she had contacted her old school through Floo communication, and Madame Maxime was willing to come to our aid." She smiled when she added: "She may deny it, but Madame Maxime is clearly very fond of Hagrid. The things people do for love...", as she kissed Harry once more with these words.

"Luckily they arrived shortly before the end of the armistice, so they could take care of the Death Eaters. Then the Death Eaters would have no time to check if we are truly dead."

These words made Harry interrupt Hermione. "So, you are saying Hogwarts and Beauxbatons students are fighting for us right now?" Hermione nodded, and she knew exactly what Harry would say. _That's why I love you, my sweet noble Harry. You have such a big heart._

"Yes, Harry, let's leave the station and return to our friends right now and finish this war once and for all!"

As they walked towards the exit, the white light grew brighter and brighter. And when they walked through the door, it felt as if a strong force hit them and made then fall down on their backs. _Then_...

...they opened up their eyes and found themselves lying down in the Forbidden Forest. They heard fighting around them, but nearby they saw the corpse of Dolohov. Dead. Killed when the Killing Curse he had fired at Hermione had rebound. On the other side they saw Riddle, still alive but clearly feeling the pain of another Horcrux being destroyed.  
"It's not over yet, he still has the Snake", said Harry. But Hermione just smiled. "Don't worry, Harry, I had made another preparation. NEVILLE, NOW!"

To everyone's surprise, Nevillie appeared out of nowhere. Hermione explained to Harry: "I hadn't come alone to the Forest. Neville was with me all the time. I had to explain my plan to him, but he was willing to help me as he too wanted to avenge his parents, and of course he wanted to protect Luna. And for this bravery he was able to pull the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat. Scrimgeour was right, anyone brave enough can pull the Sword from the Hat. And while I came out in the open to "die" together with you, Neville quickly hid under your Invisibility Cloak."

Neville wasted no time. While Riddle was still in pain over the loss of one Horcrux and couldn't react fast enough, Neville swung the Sword of Gryffindor and beheaded Nagini, destroying the final Horcrux. Now only Riddle remained.

"Come on, Tom! Let's finish this how it started: Together!", Harry shouted out. He knew Riddle wouldn't get any help, as the reinforcements of Beauxbatons were enough to help Hogwarts in defeating all Death Eaters.  
Riddle snarled in anger at Harry: "Why won't you just die?" Harry just shrugged. "Because I have something worth living for. Something you will never know," he said while putting his arm around Hermione.

Furiously Riddle aimed the Elder Wand at them, but Harry had been expecting this.

 _"AVADA KEDAVRA!"_  
 _"EXPELLIARMUS!"_

With a loud bang, the spells collided and the Killing Curse rebounded again. Of course the Elder Wand would still not allow Riddle to kill its true Master, so Riddle was struck by his own curse. And without any Horcruxes left, this meant Riddle's life had truly come to an end.

Exhausted, Harry fell down to his knees. He looked at the wand in his hand, and noticed that in his hurry to counter Riddle's attack, he had grabbed Hermione's wand. So, once again Harry had been saved by love.

"We did it, Hermione! We've beaten Riddle once and for all! And you too, Neville! We couldn't have won if you hadn't killed the snake!"

The remaining Death Eaters, shocked by their master's death, immediately surrendered. And by a strange coincidence, at that moment the rising sun announced the dawn of a new day, or perhaps the dawn of a new era.

As everyone returned to Hogwarts, Harry, Hermione and Neville were greeted by Hogwarts and Beauxbatons students, all eager to meet The-Boy-Who-Lived who ended the Second Wizarding War. And while Harry could understand their happiness, he was really in need of some rest. Thanks to Luna distracting the crowd - "Oh look, a Blibbering Humdinger!" - Harry was able to hide himself and Hermione under the Invisibility Cloak and together they sneaked away to the one place they could have some privacy for a moment: The Room of Requirement.

Hermione wished for the Room to look like a hotel room she had visited in France. As the two lovers were lying in bed, Hermione asked: "Harry, what will we do now, now that it's all over."  
Harry answered: "I really don't know, Hermione. First I thought that I wanted to become an Auror... but now I feel I have seen more than enough death in my lifetime."  
Harry turned to lay on his side and looked Hermione in the eyes. "I think I need to take some time to think things over. But whatever I will do in the future, I would love to have you there beside me." Hermione answered with a kiss. "I will always be there with you, my love. You know, I'm sure Professor McGonagall, or whoever will become the new Headmaster, will ask us to come back next schoolyear so we can still finish our studies. I think that I will do that. And then... well, we both have lived the first years of our lives in the Muggle World. We actually don't know that much about the Wizarding World outside Britain. Maybe we should take some time to travel around the world to learn more about the Wizarding World. Find a place where we feel we belong."  
Harry kissed his girlfriend back. "I like that idea, love. Surely there are also places in the Wizarding World that aren't as messed up as Britain. Maybe we ask Neville and Luna to travel with us, and we'll discover new plants and animals." Hermione answered with another kiss. "That would be great, love."

Then Harry suddenly remembered what powerful magic he now possessed. Grabbing the Elder Wand, he asked: "Hermione, can you please show me your arm for a moment?" The Elder Wand had powers for which Harry didn't need any understanding. He felt he just had to think of something, and the Elder Wand would understand and fulfill his wish. And indeed, as the Elder Wand touched Hermione's arm, the "Mudblood" scar disappeared and Hermione's skin looked perfect, as if the scar never had been there at all. Harry then did the same with his own arm, and the words "I must not tell lies" disappeared.

"Harry," Hermione said, "what will you do with the Elder Wand. I mean, it's the most powerful wand in existence." Harry nodded. "And that's why it's a dangerous thing to possess. Of course I'd like to think that I would only use it for good deeds, but if there's one thing I've learned, then it's that power corrupts people. No, I'm only going to use this wand only once more." Harry picked up his pouch and grabbed the remains of his Phoenix Feather wand. He touched his old wand with the tip of the Elder Wand and said: "Reparo." As Harry grabbed the repaired wand, a warmth rushed through his fingers.

"But what to do with the Elder Wand?", Hermione asked. Harry thought for a short moment. "We could put it back in Dumbledore's grave. Then when my time has come to die, a natural death, the power of the Elder Wand will be broken."

But suddenly, Harry snapped the wand in two. "That risk is too big. No one can predict the moment he will die. Nor can I ever be completely sure that I will die a natural death. Now, the power of the Elder Wand can never ever be abused by anyone, as no wand will be powerful enough to repair it."

Throwing the remains of the Elder Wand aside, Harry held Hermione closer to him. After a short cuddling session, he said. "Let's take a rest now, my love. We've deserved it after fighting for seven years. Tomorrow the Wizarding World wants to praise The-Boy-Who-Lived and The-Brightest-Witch-Of-Her-Age for ending the Wizarding War, but this day all that matters to me is just us."


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

 _Twenty years later..._

"Oh mom and dad, it's beautiful!"

It was the first day of September, and James Sirius Potter-Granger, the oldest son of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger saw Platform 9¾ and the Hogwarts Express for the first time. Naturally he was eager to Hogwarts, even though he would miss his parents and his siblings, his 8 year old sister Diana Petra Potter-Granger (named after Hermione's grandmothers) and the 5 year old twins Lily Luna and Rose Heather Potter-Granger. Harry and Hermione had decided to give their children both their family names after they had visited Spain and had found out that in this country all children were given the names of both parents. Also, Hermione was expecting her fifth child. Although she couldn't be sure, but she had a feeling that this time the child would be a boy again. Harry of course was overjoyed when his beloved wife told him they would be having another baby. His dream of having a big family had become true. And although every family had its problems every now and then, people would find it hard to think about a family with a stronger bond of love than the Potter-Grangers had.

As they had promised each other on the day the Wizarding War ended, Harry and Hermione had finished their studies at Hogwarts before travelling around the world, both the Muggle World and the Wizarding World.

But already then Hogwarts had changed. Because of the Wizarding War, the reputation of Slytherin had gone down the drain. Harry remembered how his own Sorting had gone. _"Not Slytherin, anything but Slytherin!"_ , he had said to the Sorting Hat. And indeed, he had been Sorted into Gryffindor. He also remembered that after hearing about the Chamber of Secrets, Ron had said that he would have gone back home if he had been Sorted into Slytherin.

But this was exactly what happened when Harry and Hermione had returned for their Final Year at Hogwarts and they watched the new First Years being Sorted. The first to be Sorted was a boy named David Anderson. But when the Sorting Hat had been placed on his head, he spoke out loudly: "Don't you dare to Sort me into Slytherin, the House of murderous Death Eaters!" As it turned out, David was a Halfblood whose Muggleborn mother had been tortured by the Death Eaters, so his reaction was understandable. Yet his outcry caused a chain reaction, as none of the children wanted to be Sorted into Slytherin. So that year the dorm for First Year Slytherins was completely empty. This trend continued in the following years, so by the time the first Potter-Granger child went to school, Hogwarts had no choice than to shut down the Slytherin House.

About ten years earlier, Harry's godchild Teddy Lupin had gone to Hogwarts, and was sorted into Hufflepuff, the house of his mother. There, he had fallen in love with Victoire Weasley, the oldest child of Bill and Fleur. He had recently graduated from Hogwarts and through his as yet unofficial father-in-law, Teddy had become interested in becoming a Curse Breaker.

Harry and Hermione were also going to miss their son, but they knew he was in good hands. Professor McGonagall, despite her age of 82, was still as strong a witch as she had been when they themselves had gone to Hogwarts, and it seemed unlikely that she was going to retire as Headmistress of Hogwarts soon. And James' godparents, Neville Longbottom and his wife Luna had become teachers at Hogwarts. Naturally Neville taught Herbology while Luna taught Care of Magical Creatures. Of course, James had also become good friends with the (only) children of his godparents, the twins Alex and Francie, who were also going to Hogwarts for the first time today.

"He will be alright", Hermione whispered in Harry's ear. Harry stepped behind his wife and embraced her from behind. Twenty-seven years after their friendship began, twenty years after they discovered their friendship had turned into love and fifteen years after they had married, their bond was still as strong as it had always been.

All was well...

 _ **The End**_


End file.
